At War Against Fate
by Gemini14
Summary: AU. When something happens that changes the fates of all who will later be involved with the Shikon no Tama, will it be enough to challenge destiny itself? Read and Review, please!
1. Prologue

At War Against Fate

Prologue

_He could feel the heat of the flames closing in on all sides, and the growing feeling of fatigue settling heavily on him as he fought against the human warrior, Takemaru of Setsuna._

_"He's a tenacious enemy, this human of the Setsuna clan_….._Tis a pity we're both going to die here." Inu-Taisho mused, as he blocked a blow to his already injured side, and thrust the Sounga deep into one of Takemaru's blind spots, getting a yowl of pain from his opponent as a result._

_"It doesn't have to be that way, you know. I can help you." Another voice offered; to which Inu-Taisho simply sneered in derision at the suggestion._

_"You? Help me? Do you take me for a fool, Sounga?" Inu-Taisho replied, skeptical and leery of his evil sword's offer._

_"If you desire to live, Dog General, then I suggest you do as I say." Sounga stated, then added, "You do want you see your newborn son again, don't you?" Inu-Taisho froze, then glared at the sword in his hand. Sounga had seen the very deepest desire within his heart, and, in his moment of weakness, taken advantage of it._

_"What am I to do? What other alternative do I really have?" Inu-Taisho wondered, as he glanced somberly at Sounga; sensing what the demonic blade wanted_…._and very reluctant to give in._

_"Well? Are you going to listen to me or not?" Sounga asked, impatiently; feeling pleased as the inu youkai lord slowly gave in._

_"What do you want?" Inu-Taisho asked, knowing that, in order to have his wish granted, the dark sword wanted something in return._

_"Not much, Dog General. Just my freedom." Sounga replied, in a tone that was far too pleasant for Inu-Taisho's liking._

_"And what will you do with your freedom, once you have it?" Inu-Taisho again asked, warily._

_"Return to the Continent." Sounga stated, then asked, "Have you made your decision?"_

_"Yes. As much as I am loathe to do this_…._to actually be foolish enough to trust you_…._I must ask this of you; how are you going to get me out of this?" Inu-Taisho questioned, as foreboding settled itself firmly in his gut._

_"Oh, that is the simple part! Since you are still too powerful for me to possess, (and you can thank your lucky stars for that) I am going to place a hibernation spell upon you, after I transport you somewhere a little less_…._warm? You will remain in deep slumber while your wounds heal, until both of your loathsome swords of the fang come into their full strength in the hands of their new owners." Sounga said, with disgust very evident in his voice when he mentioned Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga. Inu-Taisho sighed, and reluctantly nodded; he knew he had no choice, but hoped that his sons would be strong enough to combat Sounga when the time came._

_"Be strong, my sons_…._Work side by side to destroy this evil_…._Fight as one_… _As brothers!" Inu-Taisho thought, before the hellish scene of the inside of the burning castle faded, and as Sounga's spell began to take effect_…._Unaware of what this split-second decision was going to do to his progeny_………..


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

Kagome, Inu-Yasha, and Myoga watched as Sesshomaru and Jaken disappeared into the darkness.

"The portal! We must move quickly, before it closes!" Myoga yelped, then added, "Do you want your brother to take sole possession of your father's treasure!"

"Let 'em. What do I care?" Inu-Yasha retorted.

"But Inu-Yasha-sama!" Myoga shouted, dismayed by the younger son's apparent lack of interest in chasing after his half-brother.

"Shut up. I never said I wasn't going back in there, okay?" Inu-Yasha grumbled, then shouted, "Say your prayers, Sesshomaru, because you're dead!" As Inu-Yasha, Myoga, and Kagome (who was also going, despite the danger to herself; much to Inu-Yasha's chagrin and consternation) passed from the mortal realm and into the realm of the dead, they were immediately struck by the silence and foreboding of the land before them.

"You do realize that Sesshomaru's there?" Inu-Yasha asked, as he and Kagome fell through the chill air.

"That's why we've gotta go! No one does that, no matter who he is!" Kagome replied, angrily, as they landed on the back of what appeared to be a skeletal bird and flew in the direction Sesshomaru had gone in. Within moments, they came within sight of a massive set of armor.

"_Oh wow_….." Kagome thought, wonderingly, as she stared at the immense, ancient armor.

"_Something isn't right._" Inu-Yasha mused, as he looked down and spotted Sesshomaru standing stock-still before the armor.

"There he is!" Inu-Yasha stated, as he deftly leaped from the bird's back, carrying Kagome with him. They landed a few feet from the current Taiyoukai of the Western Lands, and almost immediately could sense that something was off. Sesshomaru was standing there, staring vacantly at the empty armor; shock and disbelief etching themselves onto his handsome face.

"Hey, Sesshomaru. What're you starin' at?" Inu-Yasha asked, trying to get his elder half-brother's attention.

"They aren't here……Father's remains are not here….." Sesshomaru muttered, as Kagome boldly stepped up to him, reached up, and lightly slapped his face to bring him out of his shock somewhat; her anger at him overridden by concern.

"What do you mean by that?" Kagome asked, as she looked up into his formerly impassive amber eyes.

"Even if he had died on the Continent, his body should have come here after death…..It just doesn't make sense….." Sesshomaru muttered, as Inu-Yasha looked to both Myoga and Jaken for the answers.

"So? What does this mean? Is the old man still alive somewhere?" Inu-Yasha asked. All he got were shrugs from both of the retainers.

"I have no idea, milord. I am just as bewildered as Sesshomaru-sama about this, since we had both assumed that your mutual father had died that night, two hundred years ago." Myoga murmured, somberly.

"I don't know either. In any case, what should we do now, Sesshomaru-sama?" Jaken asked, as he turned to look at the stunned Lord of the Western Lands.

"Let Father's will prevail, I suppose. As it is, if he is still alive, even I do not have the power to oppose him." Sesshomaru said, with defeat in his voice, as he gave Inu-Yasha a look of scorn.

" 'Father's will' ? What the hell does that mean?" Inu-Yasha asked, as he turned once again to Myoga.

"Your father left you a sword, Inu-Yasha….A powerful sword that can kill one hundred youkai with one swing. The Tetsusaiga." Myoga replied, noticing when a surprised look entered Inu-Yasha's eyes. Yet, before anything more could be said, something huge charged onto the scene, scattering those gathered near the armor like bowling pins.

"What the hell is this!" Inu-Yasha yelped, as he grabbed Kagome and dodged a huge, bony paw when it swatted at them.

"The Guardian of the Dead! It sensed us as we were coming through, and it knows that we are not among those that lie here!" Myoga replied, as he desperately clung to a strand of Sesshomaru's silver hair.

"How do we fight against something like this?" Kagome asked, as she hung on for dear life to Inu-Yasha's kimono.

"Simple. Use the Tetsusaiga to drive it back." Sesshomaru replied, as he tried to leap onto one of the giant skeletons nearby; only to get knocked back into Inu-Yasha for his efforts.

"That would be all well and good, if I had the sword in my hands." Inu-Yasha growled, as he and his half-brother regained their footing and gazed up at the thing.

"The sword should be somewhere inside of Father's armor. You two go in there and find it, I'll hold this thing off." Sesshomaru said, as he shoved the pair in the direction of a gap in the metal plating.

"You're bein' awfully helpful, all of a sudden. Why?" Inu-Yasha asked, suspicious of Sesshomaru's actions.

"Like I'd said, I don't have the power to oppose Father's will…..But I can still hang around and make sure I inherit the sword after you die." Sesshomaru retorted, as Inu-Yasha gave him an unreadable look.

"C'mon! We can discuss this later! Let's find that sword!" Kagome shouted, when it looked as though the two were about to start fighting again.

"Listen to your wench, Inu-Yasha. Hurry and find the Tetsusaiga, before this bone beast decides to make us all fit in here." Sesshomaru ordered, ignoring the rather offensive gesture he got from Inu-Yasha, and returning his full attention to the ominous foe before him.

"_This battle is not going to be easy._" Sesshomaru mused, as he leaped into the fray once more; transforming into his true form as he did so.

…………………………….

Kagome gazed in wonder at the immense interior of the armor as she and Inu-Yasha walked deeper into the shadowy recesses. She jumped when a loud roar emanated from outside, and looked to Inu-Yasha for an answer.

"Seems Sesshomaru has just transformed to take on that thing outside….Guess we'd better hurry, then." Inu-Yasha muttered, as he sniffed the air to see if he could catch the scent of the sword. To his amazement, despite the overwhelming scent of death and decay the underworld seemed soaked in, he could just barely detect the scent of something metallic somewhere close by.

"This way." Inu-Yasha said, as he took Kagome's hand and led her in the direction the scent was coming from. Within moments, they came upon a rather unusual sight; there, standing before them, was an ornate stone dais. Imbedded in the dais itself, however, was an old, beat-up looking sword.

"What the hell? Is this the sword Sesshomaru was after? The one my old man left me! It's a piece of junk!" Inu-Yasha shouted, irritably.

"_No kidding_….._It's no Excalibur, that's for sure!_" Kagome silently agreed.

"That sword is not a piece of junk! It is your inheritance from your father!" Myoga retaliated, as they got closer to the dais to get a better look.

"Pretty crappy inheritance, if you ask me." Inu-Yasha grumbled, then added, "I'll bet this thing can't even cut hot butter cleanly, let alone one hundred youkai."

"Pull the sword out of the stone, and see, milord. It'll prove you wrong, trust me." Myoga argued.

"Feh." Inu-Yasha snorted, yet walked up to the dais, anyway.

"_Might as well. Got nothin' to lose, otherwise._" Inu-Yasha thought, as he reached out to grasp the handle of the sword…..

……………………………………….

Sesshomaru grunted as he was pushed back against one of the other skeletons in the underworld. The battle had started going badly for him in the few moments since his brother and the young woman with him had gone into the armor to retrieve the Tetsusaiga.

"_I'm not doing as well against this beast as I had hoped_…._I'm almost completely winded._" Sesshomaru thought, as he gasped harshly for breath. He could feel that at least two or three of his ribs had been broken by the relentless attacks by the 'bone beast', and felt the bruises of the near-misses keenly.

"Sesshomaru-sama! Please hang on!" Jaken shouted, when he saw how tired the Taiyoukai was getting, and how much abuse he'd already taken. But things were about to get much worse. Jaken watched in speechless horror as Sesshomaru leaped in for another assault, only to get grabbed by the left foreleg by the beast.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" Jaken yelped, his reptilian blood almost freezing when he heard the thunderous sound of the bone within the foreleg breaking, and the howl of pain that followed it. He could only watch, frozen where he stood, as his lord was forced to the ground by the beast, and as Sesshomaru's shoulder was dislocated as well. No sooner did that happen that Sesshomaru resumed his false form, and lay motionless on the bone-littered ground before the beast.

"_This does not bode well_….._Please be alive, milord!_" Jaken thought, as he rushed to Sesshomaru's side, gripping the Staff of Heads tightly in his clawed hands as he did so….determined to defend his master to the bitter end, if need be.

…………………………..

"Ow, dammit!" Inu-Yasha snapped, as the Tetsusaiga once again repelled his hand. Several times already he'd tried to remove it from its' place on the dais, with no luck.

"You still can't move it?" Kagome asked, anxiously, as she listened to the sounds outside; noticing when Sesshomaru's roars fell silent, and correctly assuming that something had happened.

"Does it look like I've gotten anywhere with this damn thing?" Inu-Yasha asked, peevishly, also having noticed how quiet things had gotten and feeling anxious about getting the sword out.

"No. Not really….Want me to try it?" Kagome questioned, getting a snort of derision from the hanyou for that idea.

"Sure, why not? Maybe you can use this thing instead of me." Inu-Yasha retorted, sarcastically, as he moved aside to let the schoolgirl try. As carefully as she could, Kagome gently grasped the sword's hilt; feeling some surprise when it didn't repel her hand.

"_Maybe I can get it out!_…._Hold on, Sesshomaru-sama, help is definitely on the way!_" Kagome thought, as she pulled strongly on the sword itself, and grinned when it came free of the stone.

"Well I'll be……" Inu-Yasha and Myoga muttered, in unison; returning to reality when Kagome handed the sword to Inu-Yasha.

"We'd better hurry, since I think Sesshomaru might be in trouble out there." Kagome said, getting another 'Feh' from Inu-Yasha, but no argument as they raced to get back to the battle at hand.

……………………………..

Sesshomaru uttered a pained groan as he struggled to remain conscious and get to his feet. His left arm was mangled and hanging limp at his side; a severe injury, even for him.

"_I may even lose this arm_…._Of all the cursed, rotten luck!_" Sesshomaru mentally growled, as he glanced at his arm and quickly assessed the wounds; then dodged another blow from the beast.

"Sesshomaru!" a female voice called, getting his immediate attention.

"Over here! Quickly, milord!" Myoga's voice shouted, from a now-visible Kagome's shoulder, as a red blur dashed over to him.

"Do you have the sword, Inu-Yasha?" Sesshomaru asked, breathlessly.

"Yeah……But damn, you got chewed up." Inu-Yasha stated, noticing the ragged condition his elder brother was now in, and knowing that he could not continue fighting the monster that guarded the dead.

"Is that concern you have for me, little brother?" Sesshomaru again asked, his expression deadpan.

"Feh, you wish." Inu-Yasha replied, then stood and faced the monster. Sesshomaru started when he felt someone shoulder his weight, and was rather surprised to see that Kagome was trying to lead him to safety.

"What are you doing, girl? Do you have a deathwish?" Sesshomaru questioned, bewildered by the teenager's selfless attempt to get him out of there.

"No, you do. If you stay out here, you'll probably wind up dead…..I know you don't like anyone saying this, but let's let Inu-Yasha handle this one, okay?" Kagome said, as Sesshomaru growled, then winced.

"Unfortunately, the human wench is right, milord. You are too badly wounded to continue." Jaken stated, hesitantly; cowering slightly when Sesshomaru gave him a scathing glare. Then the Taiyoukai reluctantly sighed, and nodded.

"Lead the way then, girl." Sesshomaru ordered, as Kagome nodded and started helping him limp back over to the armor, and the relative protection it offered.

"_Okay, now that Kagome is out of harm's way_….." Inu-Yasha thought, then shouted, "Let's see what this thing can do!" With that said, Inu-Yasha leaped directly at the undead monster's face, swiping at it with the Tetsusaiga when he was close enough…..but, to his dismay, nothing happened.

"Why hasn't it done anything!" Kagome yelped, when they'd reached the shelter of the armor; watching with worried eyes as Inu-Yasha dodged another blow from a massive bone paw.

"The Tetsusaiga hasn't acknowledged him as its' master, yet…..And we have very little time until it decides to do so." Sesshomaru murmured, hissing when he bumped his wounded arm against the rough inside of the armor.

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked, unnerved by that statement.

"That beast out there is the Guardian of the Underworld….in other words, it guards the resting place of the dead. When living beings intrude upon and disturb the dead, the beast tracks them down and kills them. If Inu-Yasha doesn't get the Tetsusaiga to transform soon, not only will the beast kill him, but it will also seek us out as well. This armor is only a temporary haven, at best." Sesshomaru replied, as he sat down against the 'wall' with a sigh.

"So we're all gonna die here? Should we just give up hope?" Kagome asked, as tears gathered in her eyes; was she really not going to make it out of there alive?

"Hey! You're not cryin' are you, Kagome?" Inu-Yasha asked, angrily, then shouted, "No cryin'!"

"Oh, should I just laugh! In case you haven't noticed, we're in trouble here, buster!" Kagome retorted, ignoring Sesshomaru when he muttered something about humans and hanyou both being 'loud and obnoxious beings' under his breath.

"No! You should shut up and let me protect you!" Inu-Yasha snapped.

"Huh?" Kagome asked, taken aback by what Inu-Yasha had just said. As she watched him go back into battle, Kagome tried to figure out whether it had been her imagination or not.

"Feh, I never could understand why Father chose to protect mortals….It's completely beyond me." Sesshomaru murmured, getting a scowl from Kagome in response to that jab.

"You protected us earlier, didn't you? Why did you do that?" Kagome questioned, getting a half shrug from the Taiyoukai as an answer.

"No idea." Sesshomaru muttered, as he gripped his injured arm with his good hand and doubled over slightly.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" Jaken yelped, breaking his unusual silence and rushing to his master's side just as quickly as Kagome did. It was then that Kagome could see just how serious Sesshomaru's wounds truly were.

"_This looks bad_…._Really bad_…._He's lost so much blood already, and his arm has been broken and dislocated_…._Even he won't last much longer, at this rate!_" Kagome thought, as she started tearing the blood-soaked sleeve off of Sesshomaru's kimono.

"What do you think you're doing, wench! Defaming Sesshomaru-sama!" Jaken shouted, enraged by Kagome's audacity.

"No, I'm gonna see if I can make a tourniquet with this sleeve….Try to stop him from losing any more blood….You don't want your lord to bleed to death, do you?" Kagome in turn asked, rhetorically.

"N-no…." Jaken replied, dumbfounded by the girl's courage in the face of such odds.

"Then shut up and let me do this!" Kagome said, repeating almost word-for-word what Inu-Yasha had just told her a few moments before. As she tore the sleeve into strips to be used for the tourniquet and bandages, Kagome's thoughts then turned to Inu-Yasha.

"_Please hurry, Inu-Yasha_…._and please be careful._"

……………………………………..

Inu-Yasha glared at the bone beast as he strode back into battle.

"_Let's get this over with._" Inu-Yasha mused, straightening when he felt the Tetsusaiga throb in his hand.

"What the……! Tetsusaiga is….pulsing…." Inu-Yasha muttered, as he stared at the sword in his hand. Just what did this mean? Was Tetsusaiga about to awaken? He didn't get the chance to think any further on the subject, when the bone beast lunged at him; renewing its' mindless attack.

"_Now! Strike!_" a voice shouted, in the back of Inu-Yasha's mind.

"Now!" Inu-Yasha repeated, as he charged at the beast and slashed valiantly at it. To his amazement, the sword responded; cutting through dead bone and blowing the monster back a good distance before Inu-Yasha landed directly opposite it. With wonder in his eyes, Inu-Yasha gazed up at the blade that was his inheritance; and was stunned to discover that it had indeed transformed. No longer was it the rusty, derelict blade he and Kagome had found on the dais….now, it was a mighty fang.

"_The old man really did leave something worthwhile!_" Inu-Yasha mused, quite aware that Sesshomaru had seen the blade's transformation, and was a bit put off by it.

"_Now, all I've gotta do is drive this thing back enough for us to get the heck outta here!_" Inu-Yasha thought, as he attacked again; driving the beast back down and making sure it stayed down till they could all escape.

"Kagome! Get Sesshomaru ready to go! We're getting out of here right now!" Inu-Yasha shouted, hoping the schoolgirl could hear him. To his relief, he saw Kagome help Sesshomaru get to his feet and rush to his side as quickly as she could go, with Jaken close behind the both of them.

"On my back, both of you!" Inu-Yasha ordered, getting a dry look from Sesshomaru as a reaction to that command.

"You sure you can carry us, hanyou?" Sesshomaru asked, his deadpan expression from before returning with a vengeance.

"Feh. Watch me." Inu-Yasha replied, as he waited for them to grab onto his shoulders and carry them to safety. Without another word, Sesshomaru quietly followed Kagome's lead and got onto the hanyou's back; gritting his teeth when the move sent brand-like pain through his lacerated arm.

"Milord!" Jaken said, concerned when the pain actually appeared in Sesshomaru's eyes.

"I am fine, Jaken…..Hurry up, hanyou, before the beast gets its wind again." Sesshomaru stated, getting a growl that sounded distinctly like 'Bite me' before Inu-Yasha took off running.

"Over here, Inu-Yasha-sama! Over here!" Myoga's voice shouted, getting their attention.

"What the heck…..!" Inu-Yasha said, as he looked that way. To their surprise, three bone birds waited.

"Looks like you won't have to carry us after all, hanyou." Sesshomaru muttered, smirking slightly when his half-brother snarled a few unsavory words under his breath and headed over to where the flea waited.

……………………….

Kagome sighed as she and Kaede finished treating Sesshomaru's wounds. The Taiyoukai was now resting on a futon a villager had brought over for that purpose; his arm having been stitched closed, and the bones snapped back into alignment.

"Even for a youkai as powerful as he, these wounds will require time to heal….He's fortunate that he didn't lose his arm in battle, but infection could still claim it." Kaede murmured, gravely, as she watched the pale features of the sleeping Sesshomaru carefully.

"Yeah…..Do you think he'll be able to use that arm, even if it does heal?" Kagome asked.

"No telling. It will be sore and painful for a while, but I am certain he'll come out all right." Kaede responded, knowing that Kagome wanted to hear at least some good news.

"He'll be happy to hear that, I'm sure." Kagome murmured, as she placed a cool, damp cloth on Sesshomaru's brow, then stood and started to gather her things.

"Headin' out?" Kaede asked, as she watched the reborn miko heft her almost overstuffed knapsack onto her back.

"Hai. Still have a lot of Jewel Shards to find, after all…and Inu-Yasha isn't one of the most patient of people." Kagome said, with a slight laugh, as the impatient voice of the hanyou demanded for her to hurry up.

"True enough…..Yet, what shall I tell the elder brother when he wakes up and finds you both gone?" Kaede asked, as she glanced at Sesshomaru warily for added emphasis.

"Just tell him the truth, and which direction we went in. It'll ultimately be his decision what he wants to do after that." Kagome stated, calmly.

"True enough. Have a safe journey, child." Kaede said, as she watched the girl step outside.

"You bet. See you soon." Kagome replied, before she jogged outside, got on her bike, and rode off; with Inu-Yasha alighting on the back of it and riding with her; not realizing that their future had just been drastically changed….as well as the meaning of their quest.

_**Author's Note!**_

_**Yeah, I realize that this fic is going to be off on so many levels (as far as the Inu-Yasha purists are concerned, anyway) but for those who can imagine it, it's an idea as to what could have happened. From here on out, I have no idea where this story is going to go…..But Sounga is going to play a much larger role in future events. Stay tuned!**_

_**Gemini14**_


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

"Milord, are you sure you are well enough to travel? Your wounds have only just healed…!" Jaken said, yelping when Sesshomaru irritably kicked him aside and kept on walking. It had been almost five days since his battle in the underworld, and yet the sight of his father's empty armor still haunted him.

"_What could it mean? Had Father somehow survived? If so, then where is he? One would think that, in the two hundred years since the hanyou's birth, I would have come across some clue that he had before now!_" Sesshomaru mused, his nose wrinkling when he picked up the scent of his half-brother and started following it. He smirked when he saw that his brother and Kagome were sitting at the edge of an old battlefield; Inu-Yasha was eating, and Kagome was berating him for his bad taste in eating spots.

"I must say, you couldn't have chosen a more disgusting place to partake of a meal, hanyou." Sesshomaru muttered, as he walked over to them.

"Sesshomaru! What're you doing here?" Inu-Yasha asked, suspiciously; having jumped up to defend Kagome when he'd heard his brother's voice.

"Keeping tabs on what will eventually be mine…Namely Tetsusaiga." Sesshomaru replied, as Inu-Yasha snarled something unsavory at him and gripped the sheathed sword tightly. Before he could draw it, however, Kagome intervened.

"How are you feeling, Sesshomaru-sama? Are your wounds healing?" Kagome asked, trying to get the subject off of the sword for the time being.

"My wounds have healed, so you needn't worry….But what on earth was he eating?" Sesshomaru questioned, as he gazed curiously at the containers Kagome had piled up beside her.

"Just some food I'd brought from home." Kagome replied, giggling softly when the Taiyoukai picked one of the cartons up and shook it; making a face when he heard the dry, rattling sound from within. She stopped laughing when he gave her a bizarre look, and smiled when she saw the honest confusion in his amber eyes.

"Don't worry, it's not as bad as it sounds. I promise." Kagome said, earning herself a skeptical look from Sesshomaru as she did so.

"I'll take you at your word, for now….So I can take this to mean that this land has begun trading with others?" Sesshomaru asked, noticing when Kagome's eyes lit up and she smiled and nodded.

"Hai! Good observation! It figures you and Myoga-san would notice!" Kagome replied, then added, "Actually, the instant noodles were invented in Japan during the space age! Everyone eats them now, but astronauts were originally meant to use them for space travel!"

"Astro-nuts?" Inu-Yasha and Sesshomaru asked, in unison; glaring at one another when they realized what had just occurred. Kagome couldn't help but smile at the two brothers; even though Sesshomaru was trying his best to seem indifferent about the objects she had brought from her own time, she could tell that he was honestly curious and wanted to know more.

"No. Astronauts. We've explored outer space." Kagome corrected.

"Is there anything really worthwhile to see in outer space?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Well….." Kagome trailed off, then mentally added, "_Count on him to ask a really difficult question!_" Before Kagome could even say anything to answer him, the sky suddenly went dark, and a chill permeated the air.

"What's going on? Why is it so dark?" Kagome questioned, as she and Inu-Yasha stood and took a look around.

"_I think I may know_…." Sesshomaru mused, arching an eyebrow and giving Jaken a dry look when said imp cowered behind him.

"You down there! You possess a shard of the sacred Shikon no Tama!" a childish voice shouted, as bluish flames coalesced in front of them.

"Is it a youkai?" Kagome asked, as she stared at the flames.

"I believe it's a kitsune!" Myoga said, attempting to answer Kagome's question.

"Not likely, Myoga." Inu-Yasha retorted, while Sesshomaru merely watched the fire change into a somewhat ridiculous-looking floating creature.

"I'd say it is a kitsune…..but a very inexperienced one." Sesshomaru murmured, as he watched the creature approach.

"Hand over the Jewel or else!" the 'kitsune' demanded, biting down and latching onto Inu-Yasha's head (and getting slapped away for his efforts). Seconds later, a young kitsune appeared in true form before them.

"Itai…." The youth muttered, as he put a hand to his stinging cheek.

"It's a kid." Kagome murmured.

"Who dares to burst my bubble!" the youth asked, angrily, as he glared up at them.

"I'd say it was Inu-Yasha….He's fairly good at that." Sesshomaru muttered, getting a dirty look from Inu-Yasha and ignoring it completely.

"He looks more like a tanuki or a squirrel to me." Inu-Yasha stated, as he picked up the enraged little youkai by the tail.

"I'm a kitsune, heathen! Now put me down!" the youth demanded, angrily.

"_I am inclined to agree with the pup on the heathen part._" Sesshomaru mused, as he watched as the young kitsune escaped from Inu-Yasha's grasp by weighing his hand down with a statue, and then dove into Kagome's bag.

"Hey! Get out of my stuff!" Kagome shouted, watching as Sesshomaru deftly grabbed the kitsune by the scruff of his neck and pulled him out; giving the youth a dry look as he did so.

"Care to explain why you are doing this, pup?" Sesshomaru asked, as he took the jar Kagome had been using to hold the Jewel Shard from the kitsune's hands and returned it to Kagome.

"I owe you no answer!" the kitsune replied, angrily.

"You insolent whelp! Do you realize who you are speaking to!" Jaken shouted, infuriated by the youth's lack of respect for his master.

"Jaken…." Sesshomaru murmured, his tone taking on a very slight edge as he spoke.

"Y-yes, milord?" Jaken replied, hesitantly.

"Shut up." Sesshomaru ordered, before kicking the imp in the head for added emphasis. He then returned his attention to the kitsune, who was now staring at him with some fear in his green eyes.

"I am going to ask you again, kitsune, and I expect an answer. For what reason do you need the girl's Sacred Jewel Shard?" Sesshomaru again questioned; his icy calm a stark contrast to Inu-Yasha's hot-blooded nature.

"F-for my father. I need it so I can avenge him." The kitsune replied, his resolve shaken when he saw just what he was up against. And it was in that moment that Kagome saw something stir within Sesshomaru; she noticed when a very slight look of sympathy and understanding appeared in his usually cold amber eyes.

"_He knows exactly how it feels._" Kagome thought, as she watched the interaction between the two youkai.

"Feh. He's not strong enough to take on his enemies on his own, so he needs the Jewel Shard for that." Inu-Yasha said, as he glared at the young kitsune from where he stood.

"I'm strong enough to destroy any enemy! I just want the shard as a precaution, that's all!" the kitsune shouted, as Sesshomaru released him.

"What are you up against that you can't handle on your own?" Kagome asked, as she kneeled in front of the young youkai and gazed calmly at him.

"Have any of you heard of the Thunder Brothers?" the kitsune in turn asked.

"Can't say that I have." Inu-Yasha muttered, as Kagome gathered her things and prepared to move on.

"I haven't either." Kagome added.

"I have." Sesshomaru stated, his soft voice almost lost in the midst of the conversation.

"What do you know of them, Sesshomaru-sama?" Kagome questioned.

"Until recently, what everyone in the region knows as common knowledge. Rumors have it that their powers have been growing since the shattering of the Shikon Jewel, and that they themselves have Shards in their possession." Sesshomaru replied, quietly.

"Hiten and Manten…..those two are evil incarnate." Myoga murmured, as Sesshomaru nodded in agreement.

"Don't tell me you're actually afraid of them too, Sesshomaru!" Inu-Yasha taunted, as they started heading for the treeline. Sesshomaru gave him a scathing glare.

"I do not fear them, hanyou, but caution is well founded. They were merely a nuisance before, but it has been some time since even I had faced them in battle." Sesshomaru retorted, remembering his last run-in with the thunder youkai….and how the odds of losing to them may have been doubled now that they had the added power of the Jewel Shards.

"Feh, Big deal! All I've gotta do is defeat the Brothers and I'll walk away with all their Jewel Shards!" Inu-Yasha said, confidently.

"Such insolence….He never takes warnings seriously." Jaken grumbled, having been almost totally forgotten by the group until then.

"_And this fool is the one Father entrusted the Tetsusaiga to_…." Sesshomaru mused, his expression deadpanning at the thought that came next, "_The world as we know it is doomed._"

"And man will one day walk on the moon! You're no match for the Thunder Brothers!" the kitsune snapped, unaware that Sesshomaru was giving Kagome an unreadable glance.

"It seems your 'astronauts' have already done the impossible, miko." Sesshomaru muttered, to which Kagome only sighed and shook her head.

"Well, stranger things have happened." Kagome said, as they both listened to the youth tell Inu-Yasha to stay out of the fight between him and the Thunder Brothers, and watched as said hanyou punched the kitsune in the head for his insubordination.

"Inu-Yasha, go easy on him!" Kagome ordered, when she thought that things were going just a little too far.

"But someone's gotta teach him a lesson!" Inu-Yasha argued, giving Sesshomaru a glare when the Taiyoukai snorted in derision at that, and actually laughed softly when the kitsune pinned Inu-Yasha's hands beneath the statue again, pasted a spell scroll on it, stole the Jewel Shard, and took off.

"That little dog! He's got my Jewel Shard again! Get back here!" Kagome shouted, angrily, as she started chasing the kitsune.

"Wait! Kagome! You can't just leave me here! Hey!" Inu-Yasha shouted, watching as Sesshomaru also began to give chase.

"Milord! Where are you going?" Jaken asked, just as surprised by Sesshomaru's actions as Inu-Yasha was. Sesshomaru didn't answer, but instead altered his course a little bit and went into the woods; using the thick foliage for cover so he could keep a close eye on Kagome and the kitsune pup.

…………………………………

Kagome mumbled something angrily under her breath as she followed the young youkai away from where she'd left Inu-Yasha. She'd just lost sight of him amidst the undergrowth when she heard what sounded like a yelp from the kitsune, and then the voice of what sounded like an adult youkai. The schoolgirl was quick to get out of sight, and watched the pair closely from her hiding spot.

"Well, well! What a coincidence! If it isn't the son of that flea-bitten fox!" the voice sneered, as Kagome got closer and saw that the kitsune was in trouble; he'd just run into the younger of the Thunder Brothers, Manten!

"Y-you….." the kitsune pup stammered, fearfully, then stared in horror at the monster's waist. Wrapped around it like a loincloth was a pelt….a fox pelt.

"_The poor kid's father! That monster must've skinned him alive!_" Kagome thought, angrily, as she fingered her bow and arrows and waited for the right moment to fire one.

"You'll pay for what you did! Let me at you!" the youth shouted, tearfully, as he leaped in to the attack, but was swatted back by a huge hand. He landed hard on his back, and, to Kagome's dismay, dropped the jar with the Jewel Shard in front of the greedy youkai.

"A shard of the Shikon Jewel! Fortune has smiled on me this day! Now, hand it over like a good little lad, or else!" Manten demanded, as he started charging up some lightning in the back of his throat and prepared to fire it at the helpless child. Before he could, however, two things happened; an arrow from Kagome's bow impaled Manten's nose, and a silver flash swept both the young kitsune and Kagome off of their feet.

"_Whoa! W-what the_….." Kagome's mind yelped, before she looked at the face of her rescuer and gaped at him in astonishment. Instead of having Inu-Yasha come to her aid this time, it was Sesshomaru!

"Sesshomaru-sama!" Kagome yelped, stunned by the unexpected act of kindness on the Taiyoukai's part.

"You certainly know how to find trouble, miko." Sesshomaru muttered, then added, "You'd better not have dropped the shard, kitsune. Otherwise, our problems will double in short order."

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked, catching the very slight note of concern in Sesshomaru's voice and sensing that something wasn't right.

"My left arm isn't as healed as I'd first thought….it's almost too stiff to move. I can fight with my right arm, but it will at least halve my strength." Sesshomaru replied, as Manten started firing lightning bolts at them.

"I see….." Kagome murmured, knowing now what kind of danger they were all in, at this point. Sesshomaru nodded, then skidded to a halt what seemed a good distance away from the irritated youkai.

"So! We meet again, Lord of the Western Lands!" Manten sneered, watching as Sesshomaru carefully put the pair down and faced him.

"Yes. And, unfortunately, you are just as ugly as I remember….and a little more bald, as well." Sesshomaru replied, a sneer of his own emerging in his voice as he glared at his opponent.

"Shut up, you cur!" Manten roared, riled at the fact that the Taiyoukai had poked fun at him, "For that slight, I will make you see death coming!"

"We'll just see about that." Sesshomaru murmured, ready for the battle at hand. He didn't even turn around when he heard Kagome notch another arrow into her bow and take aim.

"He's got two Jewel fragments in his forehead…..if I can hit them, maybe his power will decrease." Kagome murmured, answering Sesshomaru's unspoken question.

"Let's hope you can hit them, then, miko. I, for one, don't favor the thought of becoming this bald beast's wig." Sesshomaru muttered, as he waited for the right moment to begin his attack.

"Right." Kagome agreed, yet silently questioned herself as to why she and the youkai lord were working together like this. Then, a split second later, another blast of electricity came from the maw of the ugly Manten; forcing them into action. With a deft leap, Sesshomaru launched himself forward, just as Kagome's arrow left the bow and raced towards the Jewel Shards imbedded in the youkai's forehead. At exactly the same instant, the arrow and Sesshomaru's claws struck Manten's head; and Manten's tough hide deflected both, to their dismay! Sesshomaru winced when the impact traveled up his injured left arm; vibrating painfully through the still-healing bone.

"_Curse it! The fool's skull has been strengthened by the Shards!_" Sesshomaru thought, as he moved quickly back to a safer distance.

"Are you all right, Sesshomaru-sama?" Kagome asked, having seen the look of pain in the youkai lord's eyes and checking to make sure he hadn't been injured further.

"Keep your attention on your opponent, miko. Our blows only grazed him." Sesshomaru replied, as he kept his gaze on Manten. His reasons for caution were proven just a few moments later; as they watched, two of Manten's remaining hairs fell out, leaving only one…..and madness entered the youkai's eyes in response to their loss.

"My hair! I'll get you for this!" Manten wailed, furiously, as he prepared to fire another blast of lightning at the trio, this one even more powerful than those he had sent their way before.

"C'mon, we've gotta flee! That's the same kind of attack that killed my dad!" the kitsune shouted, fearfully.

"Then let's not waste anymore time!" Sesshomaru snapped, as he grabbed both girl and kitsune child and started running.

"Oh no you don't, Taiyoukai of the West! You die here!" Manten snarled, as he loosed the lightning and sent it barreling at the retreating lord's back.

"_No time to dodge, and the lightning will travel through my breastplate and hit the girl and child before I can react_….._Only one thing I can do, then_….." Sesshomaru thought, as he threw the pair away from him, crying out when the electricity struck him full force.

………………………….

Inu-Yasha perked up when he heard what sounded like a pain-filled yell not too far in the distance, and picked up his struggle to get his hands free.

"That was Sesshomaru-sama!" Jaken yelped, recognizing his master's outcry, and wanting to go to his aid.

"Yeah, and Kagome's with 'im……Hope they didn't run into the Thunder Brothers already." Inu-Yasha muttered, more worried about the girl than his brother, at this point.

"Same here, Inu-Yasha-sama." Myoga agreed, as he continued trying to get the spell scroll off.

"_Kagome, please be safe._" Inu-Yasha mused, as he watched Jaken stand where he was, frozen in indecision about whether he should go to his master's side, or remain on the path till he returned.

……………………………

The young kitsune could only watch in horror as Manten bent down and picked up the unconscious Kagome.

"She looks good enough to eat! Waste not, want not, as mother used to say!" Manten cackled, as he flew off in the direction of his and his brother's stronghold, leaving the lifeless Sesshomaru lying there beside the river.

"He's got Kagome!" the kitsune said, then thought, "_I've gotta rescue her, since I got her into this mess_…._But how? I'm just a kid! I don't stand a chance against the Thunder Brothers on my own!_" It was then that he looked at Sesshomaru; he had to see if the Taiyoukai was still alive, and then go and get Inu-Yasha. With care, he approached the still youkai lord, hoping against hope that he wasn't dead.

"_If someone else has died because of me, I'll never forgive myself! Please be alive! Please!_" the kitsune thought, getting close enough to Sesshomaru to touch him.

"S-Sesshomaru-sama? Are you….alive?" the kitsune asked, as he placed a hand on the youkai lord's left arm. To his relief, the Taiyoukai flinched under the touch, and one amber eye slowly opened.

"Kitsune?" Sesshomaru whispered, "Where's the girl?"

"Manten took her. I wasn't strong enough to stop him." The kitsune replied, shamefully. He was surprised at what the youkai said next.

"How do you expect to stop something….even your father couldn't? Your lack of strength….isn't to blame." Sesshomaru said, as he slowly sat up, hissing when singed skin protested against the movement.

"But what can I do now? The Thunder Brothers have Kagome!" the kitsune said, desperately, as he watched Sesshomaru stand, and stiffly dust himself off.

"Go and get the hanyou. He carries a sword that should be able to kill the Thunder Brothers." Sesshomaru stated, as he prepared to leave the riverbank.

"What're you going to do?" the kitsune asked.

"I am going to see if I can track the youkai's scent…..and trace it back to their stronghold. Tell Inu-Yasha to meet me there." Sesshomaru commanded, even though part of him was wondering why he was involving himself in this fight at all. The kitsune nodded and took off without another word; knowing without being told that time was of the essence.

"_Now, to track the vermin down_…._Shouldn't be too hard, since it stinks to high heaven._" Sesshomaru mused, as he started following the scent trail Manten had left behind, and secretly hoping that his strength would restore itself quickly for the upcoming battle.

_**Author's Note!**_

_**Not really happy with the way this chapter turned out, but I hope it made some sense. I promise the next chapter will be better, so please bear with me!**_

_**Gemini14**_


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Sesshomaru paused when he reached the boundary of the Thunder Brothers' territory; instincts and common sense telling him to remain just beyond it and wait for reinforcements.

"_As it is, I am going to have to depend on Inu-Yasha's ability to wield the Tetsusaiga until my arm has healed completely_..._It is still too weak to take any head-on fighting._" Sesshomaru mused, as he gazed at the still-distant stronghold of the thunder youkai and growled softly under his breath. He hated having to rely on anyone else's strength!

"_Especially the strength of an otherwise useless hanyou!_" Sesshomaru mentally grumbled, turning when he heard the approach of his brother, the kitsune and Jaken .

"Sesshomaru-sama! It is such a relief to see that you are alive!" Jaken shouted, joyfully, before Sesshomaru silenced him by a kick to the head.

"Where's Kagome?" Inu-Yasha asked, angry that the Taiyoukai hadn't done anything to rescue her yet.

"Within the stronghold." Sesshomaru responded, then added, "They didn't get the Jewel Shard the miko was carrying with her, did they?"

"No. Shippou managed to keep it from them. Why? Looking to steal it yourself?" Inu-Yasha questioned, testily.

"Idiot. You should know, just from what the kitsune has already told us, that that shard could mean the difference between victory and being roasted alive." Sesshomaru said, remembering his near-misses in his short confrontation against Manten, and the near-fatal final strike.

"Speaking of being roasted, milord, it looks as though you have encountered some of the lightning of one of the Brothers already." Jaken pointed out, noticing what Inu-Yasha had missed; the scent of singed skin, clothes and armor still clung to the Taiyoukai's person.

"That's because he saved Kagome and me from Manten! Right, Sesshomaru-sama?" Shippou asked, looking to the other youkai for a confirmation. Sesshomaru gave him an odd look, then sighed and nodded.

"The pup speaks the truth. Unfortunately." Sesshomaru muttered, getting a surprised look from Inu-Yasha, and ignoring it as he glanced back at the Thunder Brothers' stronghold.

"I never took you for being the type to go out of your way to help humans, Sesshomaru." Inu-Yasha murmured, a little subdued by Sesshomaru's admittance to that fact...but not too much.

"Think what you will, Inu-Yasha, but do so quickly. The girl may be in danger of being eaten, the longer she remains in their hands." Sesshomaru stated, as realization dawned on Myoga's tiny face.

"That's right! Please hurry, Inu-Yasha-sama!" Myoga urged, then silently added, "_And please work together with your brother, for once._" Without any further words, the two brothers raced into the thunder youkai's territory; fully aware of the danger of doing so.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Hiten smirked as he watched the intruding Taiyoukai and hanyou rush into his tribe's boundary. It had been many years since he and his younger brother had last encountered Sesshomaru, and that long-ago defeat still enraged them.

"_How we have longed for the day when we could kill the one who had so humiliated us! Luck is finally with us!_" Hiten thought, as he motioned to Manten to begin the attack. With a wide grin, Manten nodded and flew off; eager to begin the battle.

"Soon, Taiyoukai of the West...Soon you will feel the wrath of the Thunder Brothers!" Hiten muttered, as he took off after his younger brother; equally as excited to shed the Dog General's sons' blood upon the parched earth.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Inu-Yasha and Sesshomaru barely had enough time to leap aside when a huge bolt of lightning arced down from the heavens and struck the ground where they had been standing.

"Very impressive maneuver, dodging my brother's lightning bolt just now...I expected nothing less of the great Taiyoukai, but the hanyou's ability surprised me!" Hiten crowed, smirking when he saw that he'd gotten a rise out of Inu-Yasha.

"Don't let him goad you, hanyou. It would do no-one any good if you flew headlong and heedless into battle." Sesshomaru murmured.

"Shut up, I know! Ya don't have to remind me!" Inu-Yasha retorted, then shouted up at the sneering youkai above them, "Where's Kagome?"

"Don't despair!" Hiten replied, with a laugh, "We have done nothing to her, as of yet."

"We cannot take you at your word. Show her to us." Sesshomaru demanded, his eyes narrowing as he said those words; silently wondering why he was so concerned about the girl's safety.

"Fine then. Manten!" Hiten called, as his brother emerged from behind another storm cloud and flew towards him.

"Behold!" Manten crowed, as he allowed Kagome to peek over the edge of the cloud he was sitting on.

"Inu-Yasha! Sesshomaru-sama!" Kagome called, glad to see the former, and relieved to see that the latter was still alive.

"Kagome!" Inu-Yasha shouted, his relief easily seen on his youthful features. And, even though he himself didn't show it on the outside, Sesshomaru felt some trace of relief emerge within him when he saw that the strange miko was all right.

"_At least they haven't hurt her yet._" Inu-Yasha mused, unaware that Sesshomaru was thinking almost the same thing.

"Judging from your expression it seems the girl had spoken the truth! Now, hand over the Jewel fragments to me or you'll never see your lover again!" Hiten shouted, not expecting the reactions he got from the brothers below him. Inu-Yasha's expression deadpanned, and his eyes widened; while Sesshomaru hid a smile behind one hand and laughed softly at Inu-Yasha's expense.

"See my lover...?" Inu-Yasha muttered, not hearing when Kagome murmured something under her breath about 'some people not being able to take a joke', nor Sesshomaru's soft laughter.

"Uh, there must be some kind of misunderstanding...Let me get this straight; you and me are supposed to be lovers?" Inu-Yasha asked, giving Sesshomaru a dirty look when he finally heard the Taiyoukai's snickering at his discomfiture.

"This is no time to get shy!" Kagome retorted.

"Yes, hanyou. Admit it." Sesshomaru sneered, actually showing some humor in his amber eyes as he teased his half-brother.

"Shaddup, Sesshomaru!" Inu-Yasha shouted, then, returning his attention to the Thunder Brothers, added, "And you actually think I'd hand over the Jewel Shards as a ransom to get you back? You've gotta be kiddin'!"

"What's this? Of course you would, 'cause that's what a lover would do!" Kagome retorted, as Manten backpedaled away from her (or, as far away as he could get, considering how small the cloud they were sitting on was). Sesshomaru sighed and shook his head; they were getting nowhere fast. As amusing as the argument was, they were still no closer to rescuing the miko.

"_I can only hope that I will be able to move quick enough to avoid their lightning._" Sesshomaru mused, looking up when the Hiten spoke to them again.

"I believe I have heard my fill. It's clear that you do have some jewels for us, Inu-Yasha. Jewels that will be mine!" Hiten shouted, as he dove in for the attack. With a quick leap, Sesshomaru left Inu-Yasha's side, and made for the cloud where Kagome was being held.

"Not so fast, Taiyoukai!" Manten bellowed, as he fired another bolt of lightning at him. Snarling in pain as the bolt burnt his skin, Sesshomaru boldly charged through the electricity; crossing his arms in front of his face to shield his eyes as he went.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" Kagome, Jaken, and Shippou yelped, watching in stunned shock as the current Lord of the Western Lands deftly plucked Kagome from the stormcloud and then descended to the ground with effortless grace.

"You wretch! Come back here!" Manten roared, furiously, as he flew after the Taiyoukai and miko.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Kagome looked up when she heard what sounded like pained gasps coming from between Sesshomaru's lips, and felt alarm when she saw blood trickling from the corners of his mouth.

"Sesshomaru-sama?" Kagome asked, voicing her concern, when he took cover behind a stony outcrop, and carefully set her down onto her feet again.

"It is nothing, miko...Do not concern yourself over me. Concentrate on the battle at hand." Sesshomaru replied as he wiped the blood from his mouth, then thought, with an almost imperceptible wince, "_I must have inhaled some of the lightning_..."

"I wish I had my bow and arrows! I could probably help in some way if I had them!" Kagome said, frustrated by her lack of weapons in this battle.

"There is the arrow that is in the younger brother's nose..." Sesshomaru suggested. Kagome's features brightened.

"You're right! But...I don't have a bow to fire it from." Kagome said, remembering that particular 'loophole'. She'd lost track of her bow and quiver some time before she'd been knocked unconscious and kidnapped by Manten

"That's where I can come in! I can transform into a bow, Kagome!" Shippou volunteered, eager to help his rescuers out of their tight spot.

"Then we had better implement our plan soon, if we are to help the hanyou get out of the situation he's in now." Sesshomaru muttered, gritting his teeth when the sound of metal grinding against metal shrieked across the battlefield; signaling that Inu-Yasha was still in mortal combat with the elder of the Thunder and Lightning brothers.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Inu-Yasha stood poised as Hiten pulled back for a moment; the Tetsusaiga gleaming in the afterglow of Hiten's lightning. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Sesshomaru and Kagome considered their next courses of action; feeling something akin to alarm when he saw them leave the supposed safety of their hiding place.

"What're you doin' ! Have you lost your minds!" Inu-Yasha shouted, just seconds before Hiten attacked again. Neither the human nor youkai lord responded, but he did get a momentary glance from Sesshomaru that said 'Worry about your own skin' a few seconds before another lightning bolt obliterated the ground between them.

"You have power, but no style! This should be an interesting battle, indeed!" Hiten crowed, eager to continue the fight.

"_And hopefully your __last_..._Hurry and get Kagome outta here, Sesshomaru._" Inu-Yasha thought, as he glared at the elder Thunder Brother; knowing that the outcome of this battle was far from certain...

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

"So, Taiyoukai, are you ready to die?" Manten asked, as he faced the current Lord of the Western Lands.

"Not quite...Besides, I have every intention to die in battle against a powerful opponent. Not an ugly, demented, half-powered cur such as yourself." Sesshomaru sneered, knowing that every word was hitting Manten in just the right places within his ego.

"You arrogant wretch! Feel the wrath of the skies!" Manten roared, as he let loose a powerful blast of lightning in Sesshomaru's direction.

"Now!" Sesshomaru shouted, as he leaped to avoid the attack; wincing as his breath seared throat and lungs that had taken the brunt of the earlier attack.

"Fox Magic!" Shippou shouted, as he unleashed what appeared to be a top onto Manten's head, and as it enlarged and ground the ugly brother into the dirt. With a quickness that was more along the lines of desperation, Kagome rushed from her hiding place, snatched the arrow, climbed onto Sesshomaru's back, and raced away so they could implement the second part of their plan.

"Nice move down there." Kagome commented, as she gave Shippou a quick 'thumb's up' to show her approval.

"It was nothin'" Shippou replied, with a grin.

"Don't get...too cocksure yet...pup. Manten...is still too close...for comfort." Sesshomaru gasped. And his point was proven, not too long afterwards.

"EVERY LAST ONE OF MY HAIRS HAS FALLEN!" Manten's voice bellowed, as he sent a huge bolt of lightning skywards, following the sounds of Sesshomaru's footsteps with frightening accuracy.

"_Curse him! His madness has made his senses even sharper!_" Sesshomaru thought, as he leaped behind an outcrop that still had some trees, and allowed his two 'passengers' to get back on the ground.

"Are you all right, Sesshomaru-sama?" Kagome asked, when she'd noticed that the youkai lord was wheezing painfully.

"Do not...worry about me...miko. Be more concerned...about your own skin." Sesshomaru growled, coughing when talking irritated his burnt esophagus and lungs; and managing to get a look of alarm from Kagome and Shippou when he choked up more blood.

"We're not leaving you behind, no matter what you say." Kagome said, stubbornly, as she used her handkerchief to wipe the blood from Sesshomaru's lips and face; effectively surprising him. Then his shocked expression became a thoughtful one.

"You are a very strange woman...miko. You don't fear me... and you hardly even respect me... What is it that makes you so bold?" Sesshomaru questioned, getting a whimsical shrug from the girl before him, and a bit of a smile.

"It's just part of who I am, Sesshomaru-sama." Kagome responded, honestly.

"I'm inclined to believe it." Sesshomaru muttered, as he listened closely for their enemy, and ushering both girl and fox kit to him when Manten's footsteps and grumblings got even closer.

"I want you both to hang on to me." Sesshomaru ordered, keeping his voice low, so it wouldn't irritate his internal wounds. Kagome and Shippou both nodded, and gripped his armor. Steeling himself for another mad dash, Sesshomaru steadied his painful breathing, then took off; just seconds before the copse was destroyed by Manten.

"Get back here! Die like the wretch you are!" Manten roared.

"Feh. Not a chance!" Sesshomaru retorted; not caring, at this point, that he'd sounded like Inu-Yasha in his response. He was in too much pain, and was far too angry, to actually give a damn.

"Miko, I certainly hope your aim is up to the challenge!" Sesshomaru stated, as he skidded to a halt, lowered Kagome to the ground, and watched as Shippou assumed a...snail-like shape.

"A snail?" Kagome asked, bewildered by this development.

"I thought you'd told the miko that you could change into a bow." Sesshomaru grumbled.

"I am a bow!" Shippou retorted.

"Well, be that as it may...fire when ready, Miko." Sesshomaru ordered, as he readied himself for an attack, in case she missed. A chance neither of them would not get, since Manten had somehow sensed what was in store for him.

"You actually think I would fall for the same trick twice, cur?" Manten sneered, as he rushed them, backhanded the Taiyoukai away from the young miko and kitsune, blasted him with another lightning bolt, then turned his attention to strangling Kagome.

"I-Inu-Yasha...Help me!" Kagome choked, when she heard Sesshomaru's body hit the ground to the right of her, and go limp.

"_And please forgive me for not being fast enough, Sesshomaru-sama._" Kagome thought, bitterly, knowing that, even though he'd been a powerful youkai, there was no earthly way he could have survived a point-blank blast like that.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

"_Sesshomaru_..._Is there someone_..._you wish to protect?_"

"_Father_..._I don't know_..._what you mean_..." Sesshomaru responded, as he floated lifelessly in the nothingness; in too much pain to do much more than think...and remember.

"_I believe you do._" Inu-Taisho's voice replied, calmly, as images appeared before Sesshomaru's mind's eye; Inu-Yasha at the mercy of Hiten's Thunder Pike, Shippou leaping up and sinking his fangs into Manten's thick, fleshy neck in a vain attempt to get Kagome free, Inu-Yasha throwing blades of blood at Hiten in an attempt to distract him and get the Tetsusaiga back, then throwing said sword, and impaling Manten with it's length, freeing Kagome from his grasp.

"_Not a bad throw, for a hanyou._" Sesshomaru idly thought, briefly wondering how it could be that he was seeing these things, since he was currently barely even conscious.

"_Sesshomaru. Those you have just seen are the ones you can protect with your own strength_..._and, in so doing, make yourself stronger._" Inu-Taisho murmured, as he appeared before his eldest son and gave him a sad smile.

"_Make me stronger? But wouldn't having someone to protect make me weaker? Look where it got you, Father. I'm not even sure you're still alive._" Sesshomaru stated, his bitterness and grief easily heard and seen. Inu-Taisho gently shook his head, reached out, and ruffled Sesshomaru's silver hair; an action that caused a bittersweet nostalgia to arise within the current Taiyoukai.

"_I don't know exactly where I am sleeping right now, my son, but I can assure you that I am indeed alive. When I will awaken, is anyone's guess really. All I can tell you is this; do not die here, Sesshomaru-taisho. You are still needed by those you are now traveling with_..._and others you will meet along the way._" Inu-Taisho said, sternly, then added, "_Don't let me down, my son._"

_I'll try not to, Father._" Sesshomaru replied, as his mind struggled to return to consciousness.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

"Inu-Yasha-sama, you must be even more careful than you were before! Hiten bit into his brother's head to fuse the Sacred Jewel Shards with his own body." Myoga stated, then added, "And we no longer have the aid of Sesshomaru-sama in this fight." They could see where the Taiyoukai's body now lay; and even Inu-Yasha felt remorse for the way everything had happened.

"How dare you strike down my beloved brother? I shall not stop till I have repaid the deed!" Hiten snarled, as he approached them; his eyes blazing with grief and fury.

"And I'll pay you back for killing my brother, as well." Inu-Yasha heard himself mumble, as he strode forward with only the sheath of the Tetsusaiga in hand.

"_His Thunder Pike is even stronger than before_..._and I have a real fight on my hands_..." Inu-Yasha mused, knowing by instinct that the stakes were much higher than before...and more costly than he could imagine.

_**Author's Note!**_

_**I have no idea why this chapter turned out this way...All I can say is that I'm not exactly pleased with it. If it doesn't make any sense, please, let me know!**_

_**Gemini14**_


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

"I shall avenge my brother! Prepare to die, hanyou!" Hiten shouted, as he sent a huge ball of lightning barreling towards the silver-haired half-demon.

"_I can't avoid it!_" Inu-Yasha thought, then stiffened when he heard a groan come from behind him. To his amazement, despite the blood he could smell coming from the Taiyoukai, Sesshomaru was still alive!

"_I can't leave him here either. He may be a hell of a lot stronger than me, but even he wouldn't survive a blast like this one!_" Inu-Yasha mused, as he stood his ground.

"Milord! Use the sheath of the Tetsusaiga!" Myoga shouted, urgently.

"What're you talkin' about?.!" Inu-Yasha asked; secretly wondering if the flea demon had just lost his mind.

"Use the sheath to stave off the lightning! Quickly!" Myoga said, as the hanyou held the sheath up in front of him, and planted his feet a little more firmly in the ground in front of the downed Taiyoukai.

"You'd better be right about this!" Inu-Yasha growled, and gritted his teeth when the lightning finally impacted. At first, Inu-Yasha felt a hint of electricity flow into his arms, and then the sheath's barrier activated; protecting both him and Sesshomaru from the full force of the attack.

"What?.!" Hiten yelped, when he saw what was happening to his strike against the hanyou. When it had at last abated, Inu-Yasha lowered his defensive position, and stared at the ground in wonder. On both sides of him, there were deep gouges in the earth that had been caused by the diverted lightning.

"Wow...It really worked!" Inu-Yasha muttered, as he gazed at the sheath he held in his hand with a newfound respect. He had at first taken it to be nothing more than an ordinary piece of wood, and boy had he ever been wrong about that!

"What...would you...expect...from a sheath...that is meant...to contain the power...of our father's fang?" a faltering voice gasped, making Inu-Yasha turn around and look in his brother's direction. To his surprise, Sesshomaru was struggling to get to his feet; vainly trying to cover the severe pain he was in with his usual icy mask.

"_He's still alive_..._But he's in too rough a shape to fight._" Inu-Yasha thought, as he took in his brother's haggard condition, then asked, "Think you can move?"

"I should be able to..." Sesshomaru replied; knowing that his half-brother wanted him to retreat to where Kagome and Shippou were taking shelter, and not really liking the idea.

"_But what other alternative do I have?_" Sesshomaru wondered, as he got his feet under him, and then forced himself into a sprint to where the girl and orphaned kitsune waited. He could hear when Inu-Yasha made a desperate move against Hiten, and flinched when he heard the telltale sound of the Thunder Pike striking the hanyou from midair.

"Inu-Yasha!" Kagome's voice shouted, as she watched the battle from behind a natural barricade of rock; seeming surprised and relieved when the Taiyoukai joined her.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" Kagome yelped, rushing to his side when the full-blooded youkai sank to one knee, and started coughing again.

"Are you all right, milord?" Jaken (who had been forgotten by all of those involved in the battle) asked, worriedly.

"Do I look 'all right' Jaken?" Sesshomaru growled, irritably, from between thready gasps. Jaken intelligently stayed silent and shook his head. They all turned to look when Shippou regained consciousness with a soft moan, and Kagome went to his side to check on him.

"Shippou, are you okay?" Kagome asked, concernedly. The young kitsune nodded.

"Kagome, what happened to Manten?" Shippou in turn asked.

"Inu-Yasha brought him down...but now Hiten's thirsty for revenge!" Kagome stated, as the sounds of battle continued to come to their ears. It was then that Shippou noticed Sesshomaru sitting across from them.

"You're alive! Manten didn't kill you after all!" Shippou shouted, relieved that the inu-youkai had survived. Sesshomaru offered him a ghost of a smirk.

"It will take more than that to slay me, pup. Much more." Sesshomaru quietly replied, as he silently willed his injured body to heal a little more quickly, since even he could sense that Inu-Yasha was beginning to tire.

"Inu-Yasha's getting tired..." Kagome murmured, as she, Shippou, Jaken and Sesshomaru watched the ongoing fight.

"That thunder youkai is hard to match, with those flying wheels of his!" Jaken mused, not even noticing when a look of realization crossed Kagome's pretty face.

"He uses those wheels to fly...That's it! Thanks for pointing that out, Jaken-san!" Kagome said, as she gazed at the arrow in her hand, then turned her attention to Shippou; smiling slightly when the green youkai gaped at her in astonishment. He'd almost never been thanked for pointing something out before! And now he just had!

"_Feh. Maybe humans aren't as stupid as I thought they were._" Jaken mused, keeping his thoughts to himself as he continued to watch the battle closely.

"Think you can change into a bow again?" Kagome asked, getting a nod from the young kitsune for an answer.

"You bet!" Shippou replied, eager to help, despite the odds set against them.

"_Amazing how some spirits can become stronger in the midst of something like this_..." Sesshomaru thought, jumping slightly when Kagome's hand touched his shoulder, and she looked at him with concern in her brown eyes.

"We might have to run after this, Sesshomaru-sama...Do you think you can?" Kagome asked. Sesshomaru nodded.

"I should be able to." Sesshomaru replied, quietly; wincing as he got to his feet again, and watching as Kagome took aim with the snail-shaped bow Shippou had become.

"What's taking you so long Kagome? Hurry up and fire!" Shippou shouted, as Kagome slowly leveled him, and made sure that her shot would count.

"I only have this one arrow. I'm not exactly a marksman, y'know." Kagome muttered, in response.

"You will be, with my help!" Shippou encouraged, as a devil-may-care smile appeared on the young miko's face.

"Thanks...Now, let's get that sucker!" Kagome said, as she loosed her arrow, and the four of them watched as it arced through the air, and hit one of Hiten's wheels.

"_What do you know_..._She actually hit it!_" Sesshomaru thought, startling Jaken when he showed honest surprise at that.

"Yeah! The girl can shoot!" Kagome whooped, happily, as Hiten snarled out a curse.

"He's mine!" Inu-Yasha shouted, as he dove back into the fight, with the sheath in hand.

"Your confidence is annoying!" Hiten growled, as he halted Inu-Yasha's advance with his pike; sending electricity directly at the hanyou's face. With a split-second decision, Inu-Yasha grabbed the weapon, and hung on.

"What in the world is Inu-Yasha-sama thinking?.! He may be strong, but taking hold of the Thunder Pike is foolhardy indeed!" Myoga stated, getting deadpan looks from Kagome and Sesshomaru for his efforts.

"Wait a minute, Myoga. I thought you were fighting alongside Inu-Yasha." Kagome muttered.

"And you call yourself a willing servant of the Western Lands. Disgraceful." Sesshomaru grumbled; disgusted with the flea youkai's show of cowardice.

"Erk...uh...I can explain! Honest I can!" Myoga started to say, before he got squished by the irritated Taiyoukai.

"Explain when the battle is over, flea." Sesshomaru retorted, moodily, watching as Inu-Yasha tossed the sheath aside; much to Myoga's dismay.

"Don't let go of the sheath, you fool! It's your only chance at triumph!" Myoga yelped, mere seconds before Inu-Yasha's fist met the side of Hiten's face.

"Not bad for a hanyou, eh, Hiten?" Inu-Yasha snapped, as he held up his folded fist for added emphasis.

"Well...that's one way of defeating him..." Kagome murmured.

"Whatever works for you, I say." Shippou agreed. Sesshomaru merely stood where he was, and remembered when his father had done much the same thing, many years before.

"_Maybe the hanyou inherited something from him, after all_..._As much as I am loath to admit it._" Sesshomaru mused; tensing when Hiten slowly started to get to his feet.

"I've never been struck in the face before...and I refuse to allow it again!" Hiten snarled, as an eerie blue glow settled over him.

"This looks bad..." Kagome said, having noticed the light that was now emanating from the angered youkai, and becoming rightfully alarmed.

"I'll see you in hell, you swine!" Hiten howled, as he leaped into the air, and slashed at Inu-Yasha. With a desperate lunge, Inu-Yasha picked up the fallen sheath again, and blocked the blow that had been aimed at his head...Only to watch as the sheath began to crack.

"The sheath's starting to break!" Shippou yelped, as the lightning danced around the battling pair.

"Oh no! If the sheath should shatter...!" Myoga began to say, before Kagome cut him off.

"He'll lose?.! I've gotta get the Tetsusaiga to him, somehow!" Kagome said, when she'd spotted the sword sticking up out of the stone beside the dead Thunder Brother.

"Right! I'm on it!" Shippou shouted, as he started to run towards the blade; much to Kagome's alarm.

"Wait! Shippou! It's too dangerous! Get back here!" Kagome cried, startled when Sesshomaru actually swept her into his arms, and rushed after the kit.

"_Damn! What the hell am I doing?_" Sesshomaru wondered, growling as he finally caught up with the kitsune, and secretly wondering why he was doing something so reckless.

"Sesshomaru-sama! Watch out!" Jaken cried, as an intense bolt of lightning flew straight at the Taiyoukai.

"Curse it!" Sesshomaru gasped, as he did the only thing he knew to do, at that point; he threw a barrier into place around them with his youki, and held his ground.

"S-Sesshomaru-sama!" Kagome and Shippou both stammered.

"Get behind me...and grab the sword...I need my arms free... to keep the barrier up..." Sesshomaru managed, from between gasps, getting nods from the pair, as they scrambled down from his grasp, and made their way to where the sword lay.

"_Not sure_..._how long I can hold it_..." Sesshomaru thought, as pain surged through him; forcing more blood from between his lips. Electricity was starting to leak through his youki barrier, a veiled hint at how severely injured Sesshomaru truly was.

"Damn it! RUN FOR IT!" Inu-Yasha's voice shouted, mere moments before the impromptu barrier crumbled, and the full force of the attack washed over them.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Inu-Yasha watched in horror as the blast rolled over his brother, Kagome, and Shippou.

"Kagome!" Inu-Yasha cried, as Hiten snickered at his loss.

"Don't waste your breath on her!" Hiten sneered, then added, "What a shame! It seems that she, that fox-child, and the Lord of the Western Lands are dead!"

"You'll pay for this! You killed my friends, bastard!" Inu-Yasha roared, as true fury lit his amber eyes, and he bashed his forehead into Hiten's to knock him back.

"Yes! That's right, hanyou!" Hiten retorted, then thought, "_I don't understand it! He fights as well as his brother_..._as well as any real youkai I've ever encountered!_"

"You'll regret the day you ever crossed me! I promise you that!" Inu-Yasha snapped, as he gripped the Tetsusaiga's sheath even tighter. Even though he and Sesshomaru had not been particularly close, he had to admit that he owed the Taiyoukai a tremendous debt.

"_If it hadn't been for him, Kaa-san and I probably wouldn't have survived_..._and I sure as hell wouldn't have lived long enough to grow stronger_..." Inu-Yasha silently admitted, baring his fangs when Hiten spoke again.

"I think the blood's gone to your head ever since you lost your woman! When will you learn that no woman is worth risking a battle over?.! A brother's revenge, however, is well worth it!" Hiten yowled, as he pressed even further into Inu-Yasha's defense.

"Then I have that, and more, to fight for..." Inu-Yasha growled, as he held on; even though the sheath in his hands was about to give up.

"_He's mine!_" Hiten thought, victoriously, as the cracking sound came to his sensitive ears as well. It was then that the inexplicable happened; with the whistling of metal through the air, the Tetsusaiga flew towards its' endangered master, and landed directly in his hand.

"The sheath summoned the sword!" Myoga said, as stunned by this development as Inu-Yasha was.

"Incredible...If only Sesshomaru-sama could have seen that." Jaken sniffled, as he and Myoga watched Inu-Yasha cut Hiten down, and as Hiten disintegrated.

"Inu-Yasha-sama! The Sacred Jewel Shards!" Myoga shouted, as he hopped over to where the hanyou now kneeled; the shock of Kagome's and Sesshomaru's loss beginning to show.

"I don't care...If only I'd taken care of Hiten sooner...Then I could've saved all three of them...Kagome, Shippou, and Sesshomaru..." Inu-Yasha murmured.

"_Fool._" a ghostly voice snapped, before a girl's voice spoke up.

"_Inu-Yasha!_"

"Kagome?" Inu-Yasha asked, as he turned and saw the schoolgirl standing there. Behind her, Sesshomaru also stood, and Shippou sat in Kagome's arms. All around the trio, bluish flames danced.

"_Inu-Yasha_..._you fought hard and well._" Kagome said, with a proud smile on her youthful features.

"_And I was finally able to avenge my father!_" Shippou added.

"_As much as I dislike admitting it, hanyou, your courage in this battle has proven that you are of Western Lands nobility. Something to be proud of, at any rate._" Sesshomaru murmured, as he tucked his arms into his sleeves, and gave his half-brother a grudging look of respect.

"Witness! The souls have come to bid you a final farewell...before they depart to the other side." Myoga whispered, as the flames started to ascend, and Inu-Yasha dashed towards them.

"Milord! Don't go!" Jaken moaned, tearfully.

"Don't leave me!" Inu-Yasha cried, as he reached out and grabbed for Kagome's wrist, "Wait!" At the same time, the flames whirled upward away from the ground, leaving those who had been within them standing there.

"Hey...you're still here." Inu-Yasha muttered, dumbfounded relief somehow finding its' way onto his face as he said that.

"Hai...But what's with the 'Don't leave me' stuff?" Kagome asked, confusedly. As Inu-Yasha tried to regain his dignity, Sesshomaru could only ponder on the hanyou's actions just before the foxfire had dissipated from around them, revealing them to be alive.

"_If I had done something like that_..._could I have aided Father in some way, that long ago night?_" Sesshomaru wondered, smirking as they started walking again. Inu-Yasha was sulking again, and things were swiftly coming to a head between him and Shippou.

"Hey, Shippou! Your village called! They're missing their idiot!" Inu-Yasha taunted, childishly.

"Kagome! He's being mean to me!" Shippou whined.

"_On second thought, I take back what I said. He's __still__ a worthless hanyou!_" Sesshomaru irritably thought, as Kagome's shout resounded through the valley.

"OSUWARI!"

_**Author's Note!**_

_**So sorry about the long wait between chapters, minna! Writer's block hasn't been very kind to this story, thus far... But please, bear with me! More action to come!**_

_**Gemini14**_


	6. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

The sounds of daily life in a village had roused him from slumber, as well as the slight scent of something cooking.

"Good morning, Sesshomaru-sama. I take it ye slept well?" Kaede asked, as she came into sight.

"Somewhat. Where are the hanyou and the miko?" Sesshomaru questioned, hiding a wince as he slowly sat up; favoring his left arm as he pushed himself into a seated position in his futon. It had been several days since the encounter with the Thunder Brothers, yet his wounds were still healing.

"_It doesn't help matters much that I left this village before the bone in my arm could have the chance to fully heal_..._A mistake I will not likely repeat._" Sesshomaru mused, as he listened to the elderly miko's response.

"Kagome decided last night to return to her era...Said something about taking a 'final exam' today." Kaede replied, sensing when some confusion made itself known within the Taiyoukai.

"_What on earth is a 'final exam'?_" Sesshomaru wondered, flinching when a loud crash was heard, coming from the direction of the Bone-Eater's Well.

"He's angered her, yet again." Kaede muttered, with a longsuffering sigh.

"That idiot." Sesshomaru grumbled, as he lay back, and placed a hand to his face; knowing beyond the shadow of a doubt that his half-brother would be there within a short while, grumbling all sorts of profanities about Kagome while doing so.

"I quite agree." Kaede stated, quietly, with a deadpan expression on her weathered face. They certainly weren't going to hear the end of this, that much was already certain.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Meanwhile, in Kagome's time, the reborn miko sat eating breakfast, and pondering over her now-complicated life. It hadn't been that long ago that she'd been just another ordinary middle school girl, and now...

"_I keep thinking that I'm going to wake up and find out it's all been a dream_..._But it's not a dream, and I have to find some way to deal with it._" Kagome mused, as her thoughts then turned to Sesshomaru, and his injuries.

"_I also wonder how long it'll take before his wounds heal completely_..._He was in such bad shape when we returned to the village after the fight against the Thunder Brothers._" Kagome thought, remembering the few moments of panic that had ensued when the Taiyoukai had suddenly passed out, and had kept coughing up blood. His face had been deathly pale, and the intense pain had been etched onto it; it had taken all of Inu-Yasha's remaining stamina to rush him to Kaede's hut.

"_He was still unconscious when I left_..._I hope he's going to be all right._" Kagome silently added, as she finished her meal, and then stood to prepare herself for the school-day ahead. Within moments, she was out the door.

"Here I go!" Kagome said, determinedly, as she started walking down the steps that led down to the street; unaware that something unnerving was about to happen.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

"Dammit...all...to the...seven hells!" Inu-Yasha's voice snarled, as he crawled into Kaede's hut. His ears twitched when he heard Sesshomaru snicker at his expense, but couldn't do a single thing, since his back was out of commission.

"What happened to you, hanyou?" Sesshomaru asked, as he propped himself up on one elbow and gave his half brother a curious look.

"Kagome...and this damn necklace...are what happened to me. Ow!" Inu-Yasha grunted; gritting his teeth when the muscles in his back protested.

"Let me guess...you tried to prevent the miko from returning to her own era, correct?" Sesshomaru again asked; this time with a deadpan expression on his normally expressionless features.

"What's it to ya?" Inu-Yasha grumbled. Sesshomaru and Kaede exchanged a glance.

"_I think we should take __that__ as a 'Yes'._" Sesshomaru thought, as he sighed and tried to relax; knowing that the aged miko was thinking along the same lines he was.

"Inu-Yasha, stop lazing about! Get off ye duff and seek out some information on the Sacred Jewel!" Kaede ordered, as she ground some ingredients for a medicine in the bowl before her; preparing to give it Sesshomaru when she was done.

"If 'ye' hadn't noticed, my back's been thrown out, thanks to all those 'sit' commands!" Inu-Yasha retorted, then added, "Why not have Sesshomaru go? He should be healed by now!"

"Fool. Even for me, these wounds require time to heal...Besides, I don't have enough of a connection to the Jewel...Thus, I have no real interest in locating it. It's power wouldn't aid me, one way or the other." Sesshomaru muttered; remaining amazingly calm, despite the underlying insult in Inu-Yasha's tone.

"_Ye are truly an unusual one, Sesshomaru-sama. Not only __haven't__ ye tried stealing Kagome's shards of the Jewel, but ye have done all ye could to protect her_..._Why?_" Kaede wondered, as she watched Sesshomaru from the corner of her remaining eye; the mystery behind the Taiyoukai's actions thus far still confusing her.

"Since we are on the subject regarding the miko...How did she return to her era?" Sesshomaru asked; his curiosity barely concealed behind a look of indifference.

"The Bone-Eater's Well, that's how." Inu-Yasha snapped, irritably.

"_The Bone-Eater's Well_..._I guess the legends were true, after all._" Sesshomaru mused, as faded memories returned to him of his father sitting down and telling him of the old, magical well.

"Sesshomaru-sama! How're you feeling?" Shippou asked, as he bounded into the hut; his young green eyes showing his honest relief.

"Better." Sesshomaru replied, before slapping something that had landed on him, and looking at his palm in disgust.

"G-good news, milord...No sign of infection..." Myoga managed, before he recovered and jumped back down onto the floor.

"I could have told you that, you worthless flea." Sesshomaru muttered, then added, "How Father could allow you your vices while in his service is beyond me."

"Your words wound me, Sesshomaru-sama!" Myoga shouted, affronted, to say the least. Sesshomaru only offered a hint of a deadpan expression as a response.

"Good. Because, apparently, smashing you doesn't." Sesshomaru said, dryly; for once getting a 'Damn straight' from Inu-Yasha as an agreement.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Later, when Sesshomaru had found that he could move around without discomfort; he began to explore the grounds around the village. In silence, he walked through the center; ignoring the awestruck stares of the villagers as he did so. At one point, he even came across a small shrine; pausing only long enough to ask one woman whose it was.

"Tis Kikyo's, milord. This is where her ashes have been buried, these fifty years." the woman had replied, somberly.

"I see." Sesshomaru murmured, before nodding slightly towards the shrine, and then moving on. When he'd finally located his brother's and the miko's scents, he followed them; his curiosity spurring him on, if nothing else.

"_Could the tales about that old well be true? It certainly seems to agree with what the miko had said a few days ago_..._and those strange packages point to it, as well. What else is different, in the miko's era?_" Sesshomaru wondered, as he tracked the smells to where they seemed to end, at the lip of the well.

"Do they jump into the well? Is that why their scents seem to stop?" Sesshomaru mused, aloud, as he climbed onto the edge of the well, and followed their unseen and unspoken example...not knowing that this decision couldn't have been better timed.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

At that moment, in Kagome's time, something strange was already happening. In one of the storehouses on the shrine grounds, a fire had started; caused by something that had been lying dormant until then. At just that moment, Kagome's grandfather was just noticing the smoke, and was rushing to see what was happening. He got there just as something tore itself free from an old enchantment; his eyes widening with horror when he saw this happen in front of him.

"**_I need_**...**_a body!_**" what appeared to be a mask, hissed, as it floated in mid-air in front of the old priest.

"This is terrible! The Noh mask has burned through the sutra that have sealed it's evil for generations!" the old man yelped, as he doused himself with the water he'd been bringing back to the shrine, and held before him some sutras; ready for the fight at hand.

"Seems as though you have some problems, old man." a calm, smooth voice muttered, as its' owner appeared beside him; having come into the storehouse through the same door.

"Huh?.!" the old man asked, almost doing a double-take when he got a good look at the newcomer; he seemed to be taller than Inu-Yasha, but he had the same silver hair and amber eyes. Then he got back to the dangerous task at hand.

"My ancestor exorcized that mask for a Noh actor who had brought it to him! It was called the 'Flesh-Eating Mask' and it was rumored to have had terrifying powers! I must seal it again!" the old man explained, before throwing his sutra at the mask...only to have them go up in flames upon contact with it.

"**_A body_**...**_I must possess a human body!_**" the mask whispered, as it turned and 'looked' at the pair in front of them.

"I suggest you run while you can, human." Sesshomaru growled; his claws glowing ominously as he allowed his youki to flow into his hands, preparing himself for a fight.

"B-but...! I must...!" the old man stuttered, before getting shoved out the door by the youkai.

"Go!" Sesshomaru snapped, as the possessed mask flew at them, and he swiped at it with his claws.

"**_So, the Taiyoukai of the West protects humans now, eh?_**" the mask sneered, as the dog demon's handsome face regained its' usual iciness.

"Even I do not know why I do this..." Sesshomaru murmured, with a half-hearted shrug, then added, "But you are only free to think what you will." With that said, a short altercation began in the tiny, burning storehouse; with the current Taiyoukai unwittingly shadowing his father's movements from centuries before...

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Kagome jumped when the sound of a siren blasted through the air; and as an ambulance roared past her.

"Hey, did ya hear? Higurashi Shrine's on fire!" one teenaged boy shouted; his words chilling Kagome to the core. Her home? On fire?.!.?

"_Mom! Grandpa!_" Kagome's mind yelped, as she took off towards home; her heart racing as she did so. She got there just as the sound of splintering wood rent the air, and something white was sent flying.

"_Inu-Yasha?.!_" Kagome wondered, as she dashed over to the woman, first.

"Mom!" Kagome shouted, relieved that her mother seemed to be okay.

"Kagome!" Mrs. Higurashi replied, as her daughter rushed up to her.

"What's going on?" Kagome asked, worriedly.

"The old storehouse caught fire, and Grandpa was caught inside for a few minutes with the smoke...Though it looked as though someone had pushed him outside before he inhaled too much. The paramedics said that it's nothing too serious and, after recovering, he should be as good as new." Mrs. Higurashi said, trying to soothe Kagome's nerves with those words.

"_Could that 'someone' have been Inu-Yasha?_" Kagome wondered, before saying, "I'm gonna go and take a look around. Thought I saw something fly out of the storehouse before it collapsed."

"Okay. Just to let you know, I'm on my way to the hospital now, to see how Grandpa's doing. You stay here with Sota." Mrs. Higurashi ordered, gently; getting a nod from the fifteen-year-old girl for an answer, before she rushed off to see what if she could find what she'd seen.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Sesshomaru would have uttered a long list of profanities, had he still had enough breath in his lungs to do so.

"_Curse it! How could I have been so careless?.! That damned mask has made a fool out of me!_" Sesshomaru inwardly snarled, as he tried to sit up; hissing when the multiple bruises protested against it.

"Inu-Yasha? Are you here?" Kagome's voice called, a few moments later.

"No, but you get another guess, Miko." Sesshomaru growled, not even flinching when the teenaged girl burst into the small cluster of trees; her brown eyes wide with surprise and shock.

"Sesshomaru-sama?.! How did you get here?" Kagome asked, more than just a little stunned by this development.

"The Bone-Eater's Well, of course." Sesshomaru replied, shortly, as he slowly got to his feet, and started dusting himself off.

"You can come through the Well too?" Kagome again asked. The Taiyoukai nodded.

"Apparently." Sesshomaru murmured, looking aside when someone else entered the copse.

"Nee-san!" the boy shouted, with a look of concern on his young face as he rushed up to her.

"It's okay, Sota. Nobody was seriously hurt." Kagome assured him, ignoring what sounded like a 'Feh' from Sesshomaru in response to that.

"_Well, maybe with the exception of __his__ pride, of course._" Kagome mused, as her thoughts turned to another matter entirely. Had it truly been Sesshomaru that had saved her grandfather's life? If so, then why? Before her questions could be answered, though, the sounds of vehicles being bashed aside by another vehicle came to their ears, and they rushed out to see what had happened.

"_Damn. The Noh Mask has taken a host. I can only hope it can be stopped before it senses the Miko's collected Jewel Shards._" Sesshomaru thought; as he gave Kagome a grim look, and then looked out towards the city, where the cursed mask had gone.

_**Author's Note!**_

_**I get the feeling that this is not the best chapter on record, but, it's the best I can do for the time being. Sorry minna! I have a lot on my mind (including my upcoming wedding...Oro...), but I hope the chapter was a passable attempt! Read and review, please!**_

_**Gemini14 **_


	7. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Sesshomaru sighed as he watched Kagome from his seat on her bedroom floor.

"Uncomfortable, Sesshomaru-sama?" Kagome asked, looking away from the book in front of her just long enough to glance at him.

"No. Just wondering how far along my arm has come in healing. Even against that mask, it was too weak." Sesshomaru murmured, thoughtfully. Kagome nodded in understanding.

"I guess you'll just have to wait and see...Even though you're a full-blooded youkai, it may take some time to heal, since it was broken by...well...whatever that thing had been." Kagome stated, as the Taiyoukai nodded in agreement.

"True." Sesshomaru said, then gave the book Kagome was gazing intently at a curious look, "On another note, what is in that book that you are studying?"

"Algebra. It's for a test tomorrow. I've gotta study as much as I can, in order to pass it." Kagome replied; almost sensing when some surprise made itself known in Sesshomaru.

"Humans are schooled in this time?" Sesshomaru questioned, then added, "Is that how your 'astronauts' are able to fly to the moon?"

"Hai." Kagome answered.

"Interesting." Sesshomaru said, quietly; almost sounding bored as he reclined against the wall. He turned to look when he heard footsteps, yet didn't seem in the least bit surprised to see Souta appear.

"_The lad seems afraid_..._Yet there's good reason to be. Considering how easily that Noh mask had overwhelmed my left arm, who is to say if I can even keep it from devouring the both of them?_" Sesshomaru mused, then silently added, "_If that happens, I'll never hear the end of it, from the hanyou_..."

"Nee-chan, can Buyo and I sleep in here?" Souta asked, a few moments later, as he nervously entered the room; carrying a pillow and blanket with him.

"Don't be such a scaredy cat! You can sleep in your own room." Kagome replied, irritably; her response reminding Sesshomaru of something that had happened, many years before.

"Jii-san was scared...he'd covered his face in those ofuda. Something creepy happened, Nee-chan! I just know it!" Souta said, fearfully. At this, Kagome's expression softened slightly.

"I'm gonna be up all night studying, so you probably won't be able to sleep while I'm doing that. Don't worry, Sesshomaru-sama is here with us." Kagome reassured; quite aware when Sesshomaru gave her what could only be his version of a deadpan look.

"You do realize that you're putting a lot of faith in an arm that couldn't even hold back something as trivial as that mask?" Sesshomaru muttered, in irritation at the girl's remark. At this, Kagome gave him a slight smile.

"Hai...Sorry about that." Kagome said; getting a soft 'Feh' from the youkai lord in response.

"Did you hurt your arm, Sesshomaru-sama?" Souta asked, concernedly.

"It was broken in battle." Sesshomaru replied; giving the boy a curious look when he flinched.

"I'll bet that hurt. Hope it feels better soon, though." Souta said, encouragingly.

"That makes two of us." Sesshomaru muttered. And yet, all three of them froze when they heard the window rattle slightly, and Kagome and Sesshomaru both could sense a dark presence approaching.

"_Something's definitely wrong. We've never had trouble like this at the shrine before_..._Why? After all these generations?_" Kagome wondered, as she returned her attention to the desk, and spotted the Jewel Shards in their bottle, "_That's it_..._The Jewel Shards_..._This all started when I brought them back_..." And yet, before anything more could be said or done, they heard what sounded like a vehicle hit the shrine's wall, and Kagome felt Sesshomaru pull her back away from the window; shielding both of them with his body as he did so.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" they both yelped, as he got up off of them, then ushered them towards the door. It was then something emerged from the ladder's basket and started approaching them.

"_A mask? It must be the same mask Jii-san was mumbling about at the hospital!_" Kagome thought, as she warily watched the cursed mask from behind the Taiyoukai.

"_**I must have**_..._**the shards of the Shikon Jewel!**_" the mask hissed, as it reached for the jar that held the shards, only to have the jar snatched away by Sesshomaru's claw whip.

"Nice going, Sesshomaru-sama!" Kagome whispered, impressed by the Taiyoukai's ingenuity.

"Congratulations can be given later, miko." Sesshomaru growled, as he turned, grabbed both her and Souta, and then leaped down the stairs towards the back door, "For now, concentrate on getting the hanyou's attention. We're going to need the Tetsusaiga for this problem."

"What're you going to be doing, in the meantime?" Kagome asked, alarmed when he set her down outside of the well-house, then handed her one of the Jewel Shards.

"Luring it away from here. I'll keep the rest of these Shards with me, that way you can track me down. Now go!" Sesshomaru ordered, as he leaped away from the advancing Noh mask.

"_**Give me the Shards, Taiyoukai!**_" the Noh mask howled, as it pursued him away from the shrine. For a few moments, Kagome could only watch as Sesshomaru disappeared into the night, then she raced into the well-house.

"Souta, stay here. I'll be back in a few minutes!" Kagome said, before jumping into the well and disappearing in a flash of blue light.

"Be careful, Nee-chan." Souta mumbled, even though the girl was long out of earshot, by then.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Inu-Yasha perked up when he detected a scent he was familiar with, yet alarmed to smell at the same time.

"_Kagome's blood? Has something happened?_" Inu-Yasha wondered, as he looked out the door at the woodlands; feeling even more concern rise within him, when the scent got stronger.

"What is it, Inu-Yasha?" Kaede asked, concernedly; having seen the intense look on the hanyou's face, and guessing that something was up.

"I'm pickin' up Kagome's scent...but I thought she'd gone back for that 'test' of hers'." Inu-Yasha muttered, confusedly.

"Come to think of it, I can also smell the wench's scent." Jaken agreed, reluctantly, then silently added, "_And also a hint of Sesshomaru-sama's scent, as well. But why hasn't he returned with her?_"

"Inu-Yasha!" Kagome's voice called, desperately. Immediately, the hanyou, imp, kitsune, and elderly miko were outside to meet the young miko; surprised when they saw how desperate she looked.

"Kagome! What happened?.!" Shippou yelped.

"What's goin' on? Why're you here, after you'd put my back out like that?" Inu-Yasha growled, testily.

"Long story. Listen, I'll explain everything later, okay? Now let's hurry and help Sesshomaru out of this bind!" Kagome urged, worriedly.

"Huh? Help Sesshomaru? What the hell's he gotten himself into now?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"There's no time!" Kagome shouted, then added, "With every moment we waste here, the more likely it'll be that the cursed Noh mask from my family's shrine will devour him!"

"You'd better hurry and help, you worthless hanyou!" Jaken angrily said, before he smacked Inu-Yasha on the head with his staff.

"Stop being so petty, Inu-Yasha!" Shippou added, from the safety of Kaede's shoulder

"Yeah, yeah." Inu-Yasha grumbled, then motioned for Kagome to grab onto his shoulders, "C'mon, then. Let's go see if we can save that damned brother of mine." Kagome could only breathe a sigh of relief at this; even though Inu-Yasha was reluctant to help his elder sibling, at least he wasn't refusing to do so outright.

"_It's an improvement._" Kagome mused, as the hanyou raced back to the well, leaped into it, and allowed the current of time to carry the both of them back to the modern era.

"_I just hope we're not too late_..."

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Sesshomaru skidded to a halt, when he'd reached what he'd deemed a safe distance from any other sources of 'nourishment' for the cursed mask. Below him, he could hear the mask closing the distance, and knew that the confrontation was fast approaching.

"_What's taking that damned hanyou so long? Surely his human blood couldn't be slowing him down __that__ much!_" Sesshomaru thought, sourly; baring his claws when the Noh mask surged into view, slashing into it with as much strength as he could muster, in his winded state.

"_**Hand over the Sacred Jewel Shards, Taiyoukai!**_" the Noh mask roared, as it towered over him; visibly angered by his strikes against it, as well as slightly injured by the venom from his claws.

"Feel free to try taking them, trash." Sesshomaru retorted, boldly; before launching himself at it again.

"Sankon Tessou." Sesshomaru hissed, as he struck; rending the slimy 'body' of the Noh mask into two, just before he heard someone arrive behind him.

"Sesshomaru!" Inu-Yasha shouted, as he and Kagome stood alongside him.

"What took you so long?" Sesshomaru asked, shortly.

"Inu-Yasha was being difficult, that's all." Kagome replied, blithely; getting a slight smirk from the Taiyoukai in answer to that remark.

"That's nothing new." Sesshomaru muttered, as he kept his attention on the Noh mask, since it was gathering itself for another attack.

"Bite me." Inu-Yasha growled, before Kagome could stop him.

"No thanks." Sesshomaru fired back, then deftly tossed the jar of Jewel Shards back to Kagome.

"You two..." Kagome muttered, with an exasperated sigh as she caught the jar, before saying, "There's a Jewel Shard in its' forehead! Aim for that!"

"Okay, okay." Inu-Yasha grumbled, then reluctantly exchanged a glance with Sesshomaru. They both knew that this was no time for petty arguments, or for pride. Once again, they had to work together.

"Miko, climb onto my back. If I am right, then this piece of trash wants both the Shards and youkai flesh. Inu-Yasha, stand ready with the Tetsusaiga, when it opens itself for attack." Sesshomaru murmured; getting reluctant nods from the both of them for his plan. It was risky, but they could see that they had no choice.

"All right! Let's give this a try!" Kagome said, as she grabbed his shoulders and the Taiyoukai took off; his speed blinding, compared to Inu-Yasha's.

"_If he can keep it up, his plan might work_..._But he seems almost too tired for it._" Kagome mused, when she'd sensed just how worn out he was, from running across the uneven terrain of Tokyo, and fighting the Noh mask the entire time.

"_**Give me the Sacred Jewel Shards!**_" the Noh mask screeched, as it detached itself from its' slimy 'body', and flew after the pair.

"_Here it comes_..." Sesshomaru thought, when he'd glanced back and seen the mask gaining on them, and then shouted "Now! Strike!" With nothing else to say, Inu-Yasha leaped into action; brandishing the Tetsusaiga and swinging it just before the mask could reach them. With the sound of wood being chopped in half, the mask was divided straight through the center by the mighty fang.

"Good work, you two!" Kagome commended, when the mask had finally disintegrated, and the Shard had fallen free. As she was lowered to the ground to retrieve it, she could tell that both brothers were giving her, and then each other, unreadable looks. For the third time in a row, they had worked together to bring an end to another threat...and, as strange as it was, it was starting to feel natural to them!

"_Maybe this is starting to repair the rift between them, since they no longer seem so intent on killing each other_..." Kagome thought; blinking when a sudden brilliance appeared in the east, and realizing what this meant.

"Oh no! It's morning and I haven't even studied for my test yet!" Kagome yelped, as she then started running back in the direction of home.

"Where are ya goin'?.!" Inu-Yasha asked, bewildered by her actions, to say the least; how in the world did she expect to get home in time on her own?

"Thanks Inu-Yasha, Sesshomaru-sama! It's been real! See ya when I see ya!" Kagome hurriedly replied, before racing off.

"Care to explain what that was about?" Sesshomaru questioned; seeming as confused as his brother about this.

"I sure as hell don't know." Inu-Yasha muttered, in response.

"Then that makes two of us." Sesshomaru mumbled, as they both watched the dustcloud that was Kagome rush back towards the shrine as though the devil were on her heels.

Author's Note!

Sorry for the long wait, and the relatively short chapter! Hopefully now I can get past some of my writer's block and get to the parts in this story I really want to write! Hope this was at least mediocre!

Gemini14


	8. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven.

It had been almost an entire month, since the trip to the underworld, and he still had no clues as to where the former Taiyoukai had ended up. He'd even returned to his lands, and given his vassals the orders to search for any signs or even rumors of slumbering youkai; ancient or otherwise.

"_Am I overlooking something, perhaps? Or did he simply not return to the West? Is he in some other domain?_" Sesshomaru wondered; looking up when something in the night sky caught his attention. He bit back a growl when he recognized the youkai flying overhead; his eyes being the only things that showed his disgust at the sight of it. It appeared to be an old, female youkai that carried a wicked-looking scythe, and had a sort of satchel tucked under one arm.

"_Urasue. What brings __that__ witch back above ground?_" Sesshomaru silently asked; inwardly seething when he remembered her attempt at stealing his mother's remains shortly after her death. It was then that a familiar scent reached his nostrils.

"Jaken." Sesshomaru called.

"Yes, milord?" Jaken replied, meekly.

"Saddle my dragon. We're returning to that village." Sesshomaru murmured, then thought, uneasily, "_I hope this doesn't mean what I think it means._"

"If you don't mind my asking, milord, why are we returning there?" Jaken asked; not liking the idea in the slightest.

"There's an old ghost that needs to be laid to rest...That's all you need to know, Jaken." Sesshomaru growled; his tone making the imp scramble to do as he was bidden.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

"C'mon, Inu-Yasha! How 'bout at least one hint?" Kagome asked, exasperatedly, as she followed the hanyou as closely as she could on her bike, "Why the sudden urge to return to the village?"

"Yeah, what's the rush?" Shippou added, from between yawns. They had been on the path back to the village since daybreak, and still the hanyou hadn't given them any clear reasons whey he wanted to go back. All three of them looked up when they heard something fly over them; a bit surprised to see that Sesshomaru was returning to the area, as well.

"_It's one thing when Inu-Yasha acts like this_..._But both brothers? Something big has happened._" Kagome mused, as she pedaled even faster after the younger of the two; her curiosity only growing, as the moments passed.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

"Kaede-sama, you mustn't move yet!" one woman said, worriedly, as the elderly miko stubbornly walked outside.

"Pay no mind. These are but flesh wounds." Kaede replied, stubbornly.

"You would do well to listen." Sesshomaru's quiet voice stated; startling the both of them into looking up. To their surprise, there stood the current Taiyoukai of the West; his arms tucked casually in his sleeves, even as a minute trace of what could have been concern graced his features.

"I didn't know ye would be concerned about me, Sesshomaru-sama." Kaede said, as the youkai lord allowed one graceful eyebrow to arch slightly at her comment.

"Be that as it may, miko, your stubbornness in the face of whatever had happened is equal to that of my sire." Sesshomaru muttered, a little sarcastically, then added, "No small feat, in and of itself."

"_I do not know whether to be flattered or insulted_..." Kaede inwardly mused, as she allowed a deadpan expression to briefly appear on her weathered face, then looked aside when she heard Kagome's voice.

"Kaede-san! What happened to you?.!" Kagome shouted, as she rode up on her bike, and Inu-Yasha arrived alongside her; both of them starting at the sight of Sesshomaru's mount standing there behind him, with Jaken holding the reins.

"What? You're still alive?" Inu-Yasha asked; masking his relief at this fact with feigned disappointment, "Trust a stubborn old goat like you to refuse to give injuries time to heal!"

"This is nothing." Kaede said, then added, as Kagome helped her walk towards the hill where Kikyo's remains had been enshrined, "So, you two picked up the scent of my blood as the specter passed, did you?"

"Don't change the subject! Just swallow your pride and take it easy!" Inu-Yasha snappishly replied; his words reminding Sesshomaru of what he'd wanted to say to his father, the night he'd disappeared.

"Fat chance of that happening!" Jaken mumbled.

"Got that right." Inu-Yasha agreed.

"_I get it. Inu-Yasha wanted to come back because he'd smelled her blood and was worried about her_..._Did Sesshomaru return for the same reason?_" Kagome wondered, as they eventually reached the top of the hill, and beheld what had occurred the night before. Nothing of the shrine that had held Kikyo's ashes remained.

"What happened here?" Kagome whispered, dumbfounded by the huge crater that had been gouged into the earth.

"The specter did this. She desecrated my sister Kikyo's gravesite...and I was virtually powerless to stop it." Kaede said, guiltily.

"Urasue...I know that witch a little too well." Sesshomaru murmured, as a hint of anger emerged in his usually emotionless tone.

"You know of the youkai that had done this?" Kaede asked, surprised by this turn of events. Sesshomaru nodded.

"Long ago, she'd tried to steal my mother's remains, before they could be summoned to their rightful resting place. Father and I were barely able to get them back, after so much struggle." Sesshomaru quietly admitted.

"Why did Urasue do such a thing?" Kagome heard herself ask.

"My mother had unusual powers for a youkai...and her powers were the basis upon which the Tenseiga was forged." Sesshomaru said, then looked at Kaede and silently beckoned for her to continue in her explanation.

"My sister had had unusually strong powers, herself, even for a miko...and now her remains have fallen into the hands of evil. Who knows to what ends they will be exploited?" Kaede said, worriedly, then glanced beseechingly at the hanyou.

"No way! You're on your own! Apparently, you have forgotten that Kikyo had betrayed me. I am not so lucky! I can still remember the pain of that arrow piercing my chest!" Inu-Yasha growled, angrily, as he turned his back on them, and started to walk off.

"I had heard rumors, fifty years ago, of what had happened here, but never a clear account." Sesshomaru murmured; his tone holding a veiled hint that he wanted to hear the whole story, and come to his own conclusions about what was to be done now.

"I'll tell ye what I know, Sesshomaru-sama." Kaede said, then started explaining just what had gone on before that fateful day...and what had led up to Kikyo's death.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Inu-Yasha growled, as he reclined against a tree just beyond the village. Old resentments set aside, he was honestly worried about what was going to happen next.

"_That youkai Urasue_..._she stole more than simply Kikyo's ashes. I also smelled the strong scent of soil from the grave, as well. What could she be scheming?_" Inu-Yasha wondered; looking up when Kagome approached.

"There you are. Let's go!" Kagome said, with a slight smile.

"Where to?" Inu-Yasha asked, shortly, even though he didn't make any attempt to establish eye contact.

"Come on." Kagome urged, as she sat down beside him, "Don't you feel at least a little sorry for Kikyo? Her grave has been violated...I know you were betrayed by her, but that was so long ago. Fifty years, to be exact." She wasn't in the least bit surprised that Inu-Yasha didn't respond, yet became perturbed when he still didn't look her in the eye. With almost a growl of her own, she grabbed one of the strands of hair that hung down on either side of his face, and pulled it till he was looking at her.

"Hey! Watch the hair!" Inu-Yasha yelped.

"Mind explaining to me why you haven't been able to look me in the eye since yesterday?.!" Kagome asked, peevishly. She only became even more irritated when he looked away again.

"You're obviously imagining things." Inu-Yasha murmured.

"I get it! This is all because I look like Kikyo! That's it, isn't it?.! That's why you can't look at me!" Kagome said; going silent when Inu-Yasha whirled around, and grabbed the hand that had been holding the strand of hair in a firm, yet strangely gentle, grip.

"It's not...like that..." Inu-Yasha said, his voice softening, and his gaze becoming unusually gentle; this in and of itself getting a bewildered look from the young miko as a result.

"_What's he doing_...?" Kagome wondered, as a fervent blush appeared on her face, and she then pushed the hanyou away, "Whoa, whoa! Hold the phone!"

"_Okay, now I am officially freaked! What_..._What's going on? He almost kissed me!_" Kagome thought, as her heart raced at the mere idea.

"Could we lose some of the violence already?.!" Inu-Yasha snapped, irritably.

"In that respect, you two suit one another quite well." Sesshomaru's voice taunted; the smirk in his voice definitely heard by the embarrassed pair.

"Sesshomaru..." Inu-Yasha growled, as he gave his brother an unreadable glare...an expression that the Taiyoukai simply ignored.

"In any event, it seems that old miko is too stubborn even for the likes of me to dissuade from this." Sesshomaru muttered, as he turned and looked at the approaching Kaede (and getting a deadpan look from the elderly miko as a response to that jab).

"Kaede-san?" Kagome asked, a bit concernedly, when she saw that the old woman fully intended to go and retrieve Kikyo's remains.

"I have reconsidered. I, too, am a miko...Therefore, I will recover my sister's ashes on my own strength." Kaede stated, then looked at both brothers, "Inu-Yasha, Sesshomaru-sama, would you two do me the kindness of telling me which direction Urasue was heading?"

"You tryin' to get yourself killed?" Inu-Yasha asked, as concern again vaguely showed itself in his eyes.

"As I had pointed out, there is no talking this one out of it. You'd be wasting your breath, Inu-Yasha." Sesshomaru murmured; seeming a little amazed, and somewhat chagrined at the same time.

"And our father had been this stubborn, too?" Inu-Yasha asked, off-handedly. Sesshomaru only nodded.

"Least we know where you two got it from." Kagome muttered; succeeding in getting almost identical scowls from both brothers for that.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

As the day went on, the five travelers could only wonder what sort of nasty surprises Urasue had waiting for them. Balancing himself easily on the metal contraption Kagome had called a 'bicycle', Sesshomaru irritably glanced, from time to time, at Kaede.

"Still upset about not using the dragon, Sesshomaru-sama?" Kagome asked, when she'd noticed the irritation that was in the Taiyoukai's eyes. She heard it when he sighed slightly; showing just the barest hint of annoyance.

"It would have been faster...But that old woman is possibly even more contrary than my father had been. Kept insisting that humans aren't supposed to fly through the air." Sesshomaru admitted; surprising himself with how easily he had confided in the human girl.

"Guess I should tell her about the astronauts, huh?" Kagome questioned, airily. Sesshomaru stifled a snort at that.

"She wouldn't believe it." Sesshomaru muttered.

"True enough." Kagome agreed, with a sigh of her own. Even though the Taiyoukai had been traveling off and on with them for about a month, she still wasn't used to his presence. She could sense his strength, and the arrogance that came with it...But there were occasions, like just then, when the Taiyoukai allowed at least some hint of emotion to come through.

"_I wonder just how hard it has been for him, this past month? Going so long thinking that his father is dead, and then finding out just the opposite?_" Kagome wondered, then watched as Inu-Yasha led the way through the mountains; following the scent Urasue had left behind.

"The old woman had told me earlier, that you are the reincarnation of this 'Kikyo' whose grave had been desecrated, correct?" Sesshomaru suddenly asked, startling Kagome with that.

"Uh...yeah..." Kagome replied, uncertainly; where was he going with this?

"You do realize that this could be even more dangerous for you, if this is indeed true." Sesshomaru said, his tone darkening slightly as he spoke.

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked, as unease emerged within her.

"Urasue has ways of raising the dead...It would be no small feat for her to extract your soul and use it to resurrect 'Kikyo'." Sesshomaru softly growled.

"But why would she do that? What would she have to gain from it?" Kagome questioned, uneasily.

"The Shikon no Tama." Sesshomaru replied.

"I see your point." Kagome said, then added, "But I've got to go. I feel obligated to."

"I'll never understand you humans...I could spend the next few centuries trying to figure them out, but will come no closer to actually understanding than my father had." Sesshomaru sighed, shaking his head in exasperation as he did so.

"_I know what you mean, Sesshomaru-sama_..._The human heart is as mysterious to me, as it must be to you._" Kagome mused, as she remembered what she had felt when Inu-Yasha had given her that soft look earlier.

"_It wasn't me he was looking at, then_..._He was looking right through me_..._to Kikyo._" Kagome thought, a little sadly, as Inu-Yasha chose a place to stop for the night.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

The campsite that had been chosen was in a small glen, just a short distance from the path. Night had long since fallen, and at least two members of the group were now sound asleep.

"Sesshomaru." Inu-Yasha said, when he and Kagome had sat down on opposite sides of the campfire. The Taiyoukai glanced at him from his spot near the very edge of the camp.

"Why're you tagging along this time? This doesn't have anything to do with you." Inu-Yasha growled.

"None of your concern." Sesshomaru retorted, coolly, then returned his attention to the path, and mountains around them. Before the hanyou could begin hurling insults and threats, Kagome spoke up and prevented the situation from escalating.

"Inu-Yasha, don't start fighting with him now." Kagome chided, then added, "It's good he decided to come with us, since we might need all the help we can get."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Inu-Yasha grumbled, sourly; yet not hesitating to give his elder brother a glare while he was at it.

"_Especially considering what Sesshomaru had said earlier_..." Kagome mused, as a chill traveled down her spine at the thought.

"Might as well get some sleep. We've got a big battle ahead." Inu-Yasha muttered; sounding resigned to the fact that Sesshomaru wasn't going anywhere this time either.

"What? Already?" Kagome asked, with some surprise at this.

"I can smell the remains. They're not far off." Inu-Yasha replied, quietly.

"_I also can smell them_..._and also the disturbing scent of a kiln. I can only hope we're not about to meet with a wraith_..." Sesshomaru thought, grimly, as he kept up the watch throughout the night; too uneasy to sleep, since he now knew just what Kikyo had been capable of, during life.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Morning had dawned clear and cool, when they set off again.

"We must retrieve Kikyo's ashes quickly, lest Urasue use them to some evil end. I fear only trouble lies ahead of us. Dreadful trouble." Kaede said, worriedly; not even noticing when Inu-Yasha snorted at this.

"Oh good, that's just what we needed to hear!" Inu-Yasha snapped, sarcastically, yet turned when Sesshomaru called him down for that.

"She has legitimate reason to be concerned, hanyou. That youkai has the ability to raise the dead. I have heard that, even in our father's youth, her powers were great enough to fell at least two other youkai lords. It took the might of our grandfather to drive her out and destroy most of her undead army. We can only be thankful that there are so few humans that have the powers Kikyo was said to have." Sesshomaru said, calmly, from his position on the back of Kagome's bike.

"You afraid, Sesshomaru? That isn't like you." Inu-Yasha taunted, as he smirked back at the Taiyoukai from the back of Kaede's horse. Sesshomaru said nothing in response, yet only gave Inu-Yasha an unreadable look.

"Feh. If you were so worried about the remains being stolen, then why didn't you scatter them in the river in the first place? We wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for you and your sentimentality!" Inu-Yasha grumbled; getting back to the point, when he saw he couldn't get a rise from his brother.

"Inu-Yasha, have ye no regard for man's gravesites and tombstones? A grave is more than simply a place to bury a body or ashes...It is a place of refuge. A shelter for the hearts left behind." Kaede chided, sadly.

"Then in some ways, humans have that advantage over youkai. After death, the tomb of a youkai is unreachable. The only ways to get to them are through a special paths...and those aren't guaranteed to remain open. There is no place to leave sentiments...and no way to truly mourn the dead." Sesshomaru murmured; the trace of sadness Kagome had noticed some time before, returning to his voice as he spoke.

"_He's speaking_..._from experience_..." Inu-Yasha thought, as he glanced over his shoulder at his elder brother. The Taiyoukai's expression wasn't very different from before, yet the hint of sorrow could be seen in his golden eyes.

"_Damn. And I never knew._" Inu-Yasha silently added, then listened as Kaede continued.

"My sister was born a miko. She used her powers for the good of the villagers. She warded specters and youkai away from the village, and battled illness and famine countless times. Even since her death, Kikyo's spirit continues to encourage them to overcome their obstacles and have the strength to continue. But people are weak...and hearts are very easily swayed by the winds of uncertainty and danger. Her grave was a place of reassurance...a haven to encourage the villagers to brace themselves against life's worst storms." Kaede explained; her words causing a thoughtful silence to fall over them.

"_Inu-Yasha looks just as he did before_..._He's thinking of Kikyo. He was in love with her_..._and yet she shot him with an arrow and pinned him to a tree_..._where he slept for fifty years! The poor guy! She didn't return his feelings!_" Kagome thought, as she looked sympathetically at the hanyou; her heart going out to him when she saw the grim look return to his youthful face. Yet she jumped when Inu-Yasha leaped from the back of Kaede's horse, and landed on the handlebars of the bike; startling the misplaced schoolgirl and kitsune, yet prompting Sesshomaru to move to avoid getting involved in a potential shouting match.

"What're you gawking at?.!" Inu-Yasha asked, irritably, then added, "Y'know, it's pretty bad when you can even give a hanyou the creeps! What's with the sympathetic looks you're givin' me?"

"Oh, nothing! I was just thinking something stupid!" Kagome laughed, trying her best to hide what she'd been thinking from the cranky hanyou.

"'Stupid'...? Like what? OUT WITH IT!!" Inu-Yasha howled, as Kagome started pedaling as fast as she could, in an unconscious effort to 'outrun' him, and the embarrassing situation. Sesshomaru gave both a deadpan look, as they blazed past; releasing an aggravated sigh as he did so.

"Things have come to a head, have they?" Kaede asked, rhetorically, as the Taiyoukai got onto the horse behind her; taking up the position Inu-Yasha had vacated.

"I think, miko, that it is very safe to assume at least that much." Sesshomaru muttered, dryly, as they both listened to the argument that was unfolding right in front of them with chagrin, "In any case, the element of surprise has been blown."

"Too true." Kaede mumbled in agreement, as she flicked the reins of her horse, and urged it into a canter so they could catch up to the rapidly disappearing couple.

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Meanwhile, not too far away, something sinister was happening. With an evil chuckle, Urasue used her scythe to open the door of her demonic kiln.

"Now, then...Let's see what my kiln has brought to the mixture of ashes and graveside soil." Urasue murmured, as she entered the kiln itself, and looked at what appeared to be a human-sized clay figure. When she sensed the innate power that had built up within the figure itself, she smiled.

"Ah, yes! This could be my finest creation yet!" Urasue said, gleefully, as she then tossed the herb she always carried in her headband onto the figure itself. As soon as the herb touched the hardened clay, a brilliant flash emanated from it, and the flames around the figure died down.

"Now, arise!" Urasue commanded, as she lifted her scythe, and drove the point of it into the head of the figure; causing cracks to spread like spiderwebs across it, all the way down to the feet. As they went, the clay started to break apart, revealing what appeared to be human skin underneath! The most chilling part of all occurred when the body that was revealed from within the figure began to move. Almost on instinct, the body reached up and gently grasped the herb in a dainty, feminine hand, then slowly sat up and opened its' eyes.

"Kikyo...the great miko...You foiled many an attempt by youkai and monsters alike to take possession of the Shikon no Tama." Urasue said, as she addressed the beautiful figure that sat before her, "They say that if a youkai should possess but a shard of the Sacred Jewel, its' powers as a youkai will at least double! I need them! Go forth, and destroy every youkai in search of the Jewel fragments! Burn them alive! I must have every shard of the Jewel for myself! I have brought you back, and now you shall serve my every wish! Go and retrieve the Jewel Shards!" With a blast of her dark magic, Urasue made the 'reborn' Kikyo stand...yet could only watch in dumbfounded shock when she toppled over again!

"Impossible! I don't understand...the body has revived...but the soul hasn't returned! My sorcerous net could not have failed to bring back the soul! Unless...wait! This could only happen if the soul were already reincarnated into another body! I have no use for this body of Kikyo's unless it has a soul!" Urasue hissed, angered by the failure of her plans; not only to recover the Jewel Shards, but to also wreak some revenge on the clan of the Taiyoukai that had defeated her, so long ago.

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Inu-Yasha watched Sesshomaru as closely as he could from the corner of his eye. Even though the Taiyoukai seemed calm, something told him that he was anything but.

"_If I didn't know any better, I'd say he is nervous about something_..._He knows what Urasue might have in store for us_..._Is he actually afraid that she'll succeed in raising Kikyo from the dead? Is that it?_" Inu-Yasha wondered; then shook his head. The thought in itself didn't quite make sense. Why would his brother fear the powers of a miko, when he was one of the strongest youkai in the Western Lands?

"_Maybe he's thinking ahead, and adding the Shards as a threat_..._If that's the case, then it might be a good idea to be cautious._" Inu-Yasha mentally added; his expression deadpanning when they reached what appeared to be a rope bridge.

"Something tells me that's the place." Kaede murmured, as she pointed out the mountain a little ways ahead of them, and the thin plume of smoke rising from it.

"Oh great! We've gotta cross this rickety old bridge?.!" Kagome yelped, a bit fearfully.

"Unfortunately." Sesshomaru muttered, as he gave the old miko a look that said 'This wouldn't have been a problem, if we'd taken the dragon'.

"Dirty looks and arguing will do us no good, Sesshomaru-sama." Kaede muttered, even though she knew now that the Taiyoukai was right. Yet she could only chuckle softly when the schoolgirl backed up a little (almost completely against Sesshomaru), reached back, wrapped one slender hand in his pelt, and hung on for dear life.

"In your time, miko, is there such a thing as 'personal space'?" Sesshomaru questioned; his tone hinting at how flustered he was becoming with the current situation (even if his face didn't directly show it).

"Deal with it!" Kagome retorted, then added, "This bridge does not look safe, and you're the sturdiest one here!"

"_The girl is afraid of heights_..._Perfect_..._I'm never going to hear the end of this_..." Sesshomaru inwardly grumbled, yet marveled at the same time how much things had changed in just one month. He and Inu-Yasha had gone from being bitter enemies, to uneasy allies, and he even found himself compelled to protect humans! There was even a grudging respect for the spirited Kagome beginning to form.

"_Feh. I've become a pushover._" Sesshomaru thought, in disgust; yet dubiously continued to allow the girl to grip the pelt as they started to cross the bridge. They were about halfway over when the first attack came. Melting from the mists like ghosts, clay figures appeared on the bridge in front of them.

"How'd those get there?" Shippou asked, when he'd noticed them; a jolt of alarm traveling through at least four of them when they saw the clay break apart, and seemingly human warriors emerged from them!

"They must be the soldiers you'd told us about, Sesshomaru!" Inu-Yasha shouted.

"They match the written accounts, and what I had seen back then, almost exactly." Sesshomaru confirmed; growling when he saw that the 'soldiers' were closing in from behind, as well.

"Hang on! This swinging bridge is about to live up to its name!" Inu-Yasha warned, almost jokingly, as he charged into the 'soldiers' midst, "Sankon Tessou!"

"_Might as well try it._" Sesshomaru mused, as he then gently disentangled Kagome's hand from his pelt, unsheathed the Tenseiga, and rushed into the rest. With the speed and skill of a master swordsman, Sesshomaru skillfully wove his way through his half of the attackers; the Tenseiga's blade singing through the air with each swing. Kaede watched in stunned silence, as the soldiers Sesshomaru attacked crumbled into dust, and the souls within them ascended.

"_His sword is __freeing__ the souls as it goes! What an amazing blade!_" Kaede thought, wonderingly.

"Damn, Sesshomaru! What kinda blade is that, anyway?.!" Inu-Yasha asked, when he'd seen the last of his brother's opponents get taken down.

"A blade that is said to be able to heal one hundred mortals with one swing...and whose touch can destroy the undead." Sesshomaru replied; not even sounding winded as he sheathed his sword, and looked over at his brother.

"And your mother had had the same kind of power?" Inu-Yasha questioned, in amazement.

"They were similar...If anything, hers' were even stronger...Hence the reason Urasue had tried to steal her body before it could go to the underworld." Sesshomaru answered, quietly.

"Glad she didn't succeed, then." Inu-Yasha muttered; getting a ready agreement from Kagome, Shippou, and Kaede.

"Not arguing that point." Sesshomaru stated, as he readied himself for the next wave.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Urasue irritably looked aside, when the sounds of battle came to her ears.

"What can that ruckus be outside?" Urasue grumbled, before she reached over to grab the herb from Kikyo's hand, "I'll go and see for myself and work off some of this frustration!" Yet, she was only further agitated when the reanimated Kikyo didn't let go of the herb, and instead tightened her grip around it!

"Release it! It belongs to me!" Urasue growled, yet started when a girl's voice cried out, and Kikyo moved in response to it.

"Inu-Yasha! Sesshomaru-sama! Look out!" the voice called, unknowingly causing the empty shell of Kikyo to look towards her.

"She moved...on her own?.! Wait...!" Urasue muttered, as she exited the kiln and flew in the direction the voice had come from. To her shock, there kneeled a rather fearful-looking young girl...who had the same appearance as Kikyo!

"_That __must__ be Kikyo's reincarnation! She's almost her __double__! How fortuitous for me!_" Urasue thought, overjoyed with this discovery...Yet yelping when something slashed at her from underneath.

"Don't even consider it, witch." a familiar male voice snarled, as it's owner floated there between her and those on the bridge.

"_The Dog General's son!_" Urasue's mind roared, furiously, when she realized who it was, yet could only wonder why he was even there.

"Move aside, mongrel!" Urasue growled, as she lashed out at him with her scythe; baring her fangs when he blocked the blow with his bare hands.

"Inu-Yasha! Get them off of the bridge!" the Taiyoukai shouted, over his shoulder, to the dog-eared youth that still fought the undead soldiers.

"I would if I could get a free moment...Sesshomaru! Dammit!" Inu-Yasha retorted, as a few of them slipped past him and lumbered towards the girl, old woman, and kitsune. The one moment of distraction this caused was all Urasue needed. She swiped at the Taiyoukai's face with claws that had been drenched in some sort of potion; causing him to utter a pained growl, and release the scythe. She then dove in, cut the bridge in two, and grabbed the girl.

"No! Shippou! Kaede-san!" the girl cried, as she watched them all fall (including the now-reeling Sesshomaru) then shouted, "Hey! Release me!"

"Prefer to fall to your death, young maiden?" Urasue asked, as she held the blade of her scythe to the girl's throat, "After all my hard work trying to revive that corpse, I won't easily give up it's reincarnated soul! I have plans in store for you! Plans to bring back Kikyo!"

"Bring back Kikyo?.!" Kagome murmured, her blood almost freezing as she recalled Sesshomaru's words the day before, "_I should've listened!_"

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Sesshomaru heard himself snarl several colorful curses, as the potion seemingly burned his eyes into nothing.

"Damn it all to the seven hells! What sort of venom is this?.!" Sesshomaru growled, as he felt himself land on something soft.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" Shippou's voice shouted, from beside him, and he felt a hand tentatively touch his shoulder.

"Are ye all right, Sesshomaru-sama?" Kaede asked, concernedly.

"If having my eyes burn themselves out of existence is what you would call 'all right'...Find some water, curse it!" Sesshomaru hissed, as he tried to refrain from rubbing the now painfully watering eyes. He heard it when Shippou dove into Kagome's oversized bag, and when several different things were thrown out of it in his search for the bottled water the girl carried with her. Much to his relief, he soon felt the cold liquid get poured into his eyes; washing the potion out and relieving the pain.

"How fare ye now, Sesshomaru-sama?" Kaede asked.

"That witch is going to pay dearly for that. I haven't felt something that painful since I got some of Father's venom in my eyes!" Sesshomaru said, unafraid to admit that he'd been in agony just seconds before.

"Even more painful than being hit with the Thunder Brothers' lightning?" Shippou questioned.

"Venom is worse than lightning, at this point." Sesshomaru grumbled.

"But ye are uninjured, otherwise?" Kaede said, concernedly.

"She didn't land any blows aside from that. But I wasn't able to prevent her from taking the miko." Sesshomaru said, his frustration very evident to the pair before him.

"So, what do we do now? That witch took Kagome!" Shippou said, worriedly.

"We find the hanyou, and then continue following the trail. If anything, we can hope to get there in time to prevent whatever the witch has planned." Sesshomaru calmly replied; getting nods of agreement to that from both the youkai child and the old woman. The time for stubbornness and personality conflicts was well past...Kagome's very existence was now in question.

Author's Note!

Yes, I know. Later in the manga, it is revealed that Sess' mother is still alive, but this is an AU, first and foremost! Hope this was an 'all right' chapter, anyway!

Gemini14


	9. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight.

It didn't take long for the trio to find Inu-Yasha (it was safe to say that he'd landed right under their noses...much to Sesshomaru's grim amusement, since Shippou's giant leaf had come to rest on top of him!).

"What?.! That old witch has kidnapped Kagome?.!" Inu-Yasha asked; his voice sounding just a little alarmed by this bit of news.

"Hai! She pulled her out of the air as we were falling!" Shippou answered.

"What was Sesshomaru doing? He could've done something to prevent it!" Inu-Yasha growled, as he glared in his brother's direction.

"You try chasing someone with your eyes full of poison. It will be safe to say you won't get far." Sesshomaru muttered, irritably; noticing when more glowing orbs escaped from the remaining 'soldiers', and quietly ascended.

"More souls..." Kaede said, then glanced at Sesshomaru and Inu-Yasha.

"Why're they coming out of those things?" Inu-Yasha asked, when he knew he wasn't going to get any more answers from the Taiyoukai.

"Urasue must have imprisoned human souls to animate them...And I fear it gets worse. There are human bones baked in with the clay." Kaede replied, as she kneeled beside one of the broken forms, pulled out the aforementioned bones, and showed them to the two youkai and the hanyou.

"Sesshomaru, is this why the youkai burial grounds are in the underworld?" Shippou asked, as he gazed up at the solemn face of the Taiyoukai.

"Yes. Unfortunately, there are those, like that witch, who would leap at the chance to disturb the dead...especially the bones of the more powerful youkai..." Sesshomaru murmured; his eyes narrowing at the thought, yet feeling some relief that he didn't have to worry about his father's remains...at least, not now.

"Urasue's magic is fiendish; using the remains of the dead...and the souls. And now, she has my sister's remains, and holds Kagome captive!" Kaede added, as she gently replaced the bones back within the crude shell, stood, and then started walking in the direction they had seen the smoke coming from.

"You're wounded, old woman. Wait here and I'll recover the ashes." Inu-Yasha said, impatiently.

"The hanyou has a point. You can't go into this fight the way you are." Sesshomaru stated; knowing that his words and those of Inu-Yasha were falling on seemingly deaf ears.

"I worry that time isn't on our side...we may shortly find ourselves face to face with Kikyo." Kaede murmured, gravely.

"What?.! But she's dead!" Inu-Yasha yelped, as a chill traveled down his spine.

"Urasue has all she needs to revive her. And, if she succeeds, we will face a formidable foe. We must find some way to stop this!" Kaede said, determinedly.

"On that, you get no argument." Sesshomaru replied; really not looking forward to the trial to come, but seeing no other way around it.

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"Stop! What do you think you're pulling here?.!" Kagome shouted, from within what seemed to be an earthen tub, while Urasue poured some sort of concoction into it.

"You're an insolent one, are you not?" Urasue muttered, then added, "There! That should do it!" The 'tub' was now filled to the brim with a greenish potion that had all sorts of leaves floating in it around the girl's body.

"What's in this water? It smells disgusting!" Kagome gasped, then silently wondered, "_Wonder what Inu-Yasha and Sesshomaru would make of it, if it smells this awful to __me_" She looked up when she heard someone walk up, and was startled to see what appeared to be an eighteen-year-old girl standing there. Empty brown eyes gazed into hers; making Kagome shudder a little bit as a result.

"Who...is that?" Kagome asked, nervously. Urasue turned and smiled at the girl, who seemed to be a miko.

"So, you're dressed! The attire of a miko is most fitting and flatters your good looks. I have done well to reshape your body with human bones and graveyard soil. Now, all you require is a soul." Urasue murmured, then smirked at Kagome.

"What...?" Kagome whispered, as fear dug its cold claws into her insides.

"My potion will soon draw the soul from your very body. Kikyo shall have her soul, and you...will be among the living dead!" Urasue sneered.

"_Kikyo's soul_..._? Then this girl_..._is Kikyo?_" Kagome wondered, feeling an eerie sensation come upon her as she gazed at what had (and hadn't) been her own face, so long ago.

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As swiftly as they could manage, Inu-Yasha, Sesshomaru, Shippou, and Kaede made their way towards Urasue's home; Inu-Yasha carrying Kaede on his back, while Sesshomaru took down even more of the reanimated soldiers with the Tenseiga.

"_He's doin' pretty well, since his arm is still healing._" Inu-Yasha mused, as he watched his elder brother take down more attackers with very little effort; his swings showing only a minute stiffness attributed to the recovering arm. He paused when Kaede uttered a groan under her breath, and Shippou snapped at him.

"Show some mercy! Can't you see Kaede-ba-chan is in a lot of pain?.!" Shippou asked, a little angrily.

"Faster? Slower? Will somebody make up their mind?" Inu-Yasha grumbled, annoyed by the mixed 'commands' he was getting from the old woman and kitsune, respectively.

"I beg of ye to proceed quickly! Fly like the devil is on your heels!" Kaede urged, getting a brisk nod from the hanyou as a response.

"Sesshomaru! This way!" Inu-Yasha shouted, as he nodded towards the more even paths.

"Kaede's right...If we don't hurry, Kagome's soul will be stolen! There's no time for us to lose!" Shippou murmured, as he followed Inu-Yasha up the cliffs; yelping when Sesshomaru grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, placed him on his shoulder, and then picked up his own speed.

" Then I suggest you hang on." Sesshomaru muttered, as he leaped after his half brother.

"_Maybe with his sword, we might have a chance!_" Shippou thought, as he tightened his grip on the Taiyoukai's haori, and glanced at the determined glint in his amber eyes. But would they make it in time?

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

As the moments passed, Kagome found herself having even more difficulty breathing; the smell of the potion stifling and paralyzing her.

"C-can't breathe...Can hardly even move!" Kagome gasped.

"_This young lass differs somehow from my previous victims_..._She should have fallen faint, by now!_" Urasue mused, as she watched the goings-on in bewildered silence. Never before had anyone else managed to stay conscious in the potion this long! It was then that a brilliant light emanated from Kagome's chest, and a delighted smile appeared on Urasue's weathered face.

"That light! The girl must possess a fragment of the Shikon Jewel! How very fortuitous for me!" Urasue cackled, as she tried to reach down and grab the shard, yet was repelled by a powerful barrier!

"_Does that light shine from the Jewel itself_..._Or is it_...?" Urasue wondered; her eyes widening when she saw the soul flash furiously in response to being drawn out in such a fashion.

"The soul appears to be angry! Kikyo's soul flashes with an inexplicably violent and angry light! It's seeking revenge...possibly from a tremendous betrayal in her former life!" Urasue muttered, as she watched the soul furiously beat itself against the barrier; only becoming even more agitated when someone else arrived on the scene.

"Kikyo is there!" an old woman's voice shouted, in dismay.

"You survived the fall?.!" Urasue yelped, when she saw who now stood across from her. There stood Inu-Yasha, Kaede, and Sesshomaru! Sesshomaru looked down when he felt the sheathed Tenseiga almost shake itself from his hand; consternation taking hold when he sensed a trace of fear within the weapon itself!

"_Is it the presence of this soul that troubles you, Tenseiga?_" Sesshomaru silently asked, his eyes narrowing when he saw the miko sitting beside the earthen tub.

"K-Kikyo..." Inu-Yasha muttered; a split second before all hell broke loose. No sooner was the name uttered, did the furious soul emerge from the shield, race towards the empty miko, and sink into her.

"The soul is emerging!" Urasue gleefully laughed, then added, "The instant you called her name, the girl's heart skipped a beat and Kikyo's soul sprang forth!"

"Fool." Sesshomaru softly snarled, as he prepared himself for a fight; keeping his gaze on the revived Kikyo as she descended.

"Kagome's spirit has entered Kikyo's body..." Inu-Yasha said, too stunned by this development to react to Sesshomaru's reprimand.

"Kagome, don't leave us! Wake up!" Shippou begged, from beside the lifeless schoolgirl. Urusue snickered at this; earning her yet another growl from the Taiyoukai.

"You're wasting your time speaking to a soulless lump of flesh! But I have no 'bones' about having her for dinner later!" Urasue said, pleasantly.

"You fiend! How dare ye desecrate my sister's grave and use her remains!" Kaede said, angrily.

"My creation is wondrous, is it not? I used her ashes and graveside soil to recreate her as living flesh and blood! As such, I am her creator, and she shall follow my every command!" Urasue sneered; barely dodging when Sesshomaru's whip came singing towards her.

"I, myself, have heard quite enough, witch." Sesshomaru said, his tone deadly as he began his attack.

"_Why's __he__ so upset about this? Unless_..._he's remembering what had almost happened to his mother? Is that it?_" Inu-Yasha thought, as the Taiyoukai drove Urasue ever closer to Kikyo...not expecting to see what happened next. No sooner did Sesshomaru corner the sinister youkai and try to unsheathe the Tenseiga fast enough to dispatch the both of them, did Kikyo reach out and use her purifying powers to destroy Urasue herself! With a scream, Urasue collapsed and started to burn; this sight making Sesshomaru leap back in shock, his expression unreadable as he landed right beside Inu-Yasha.

"Inu-Yasha...Why are you still alive? I bound you to a tree with a sacred arrow." Kikyo said, quietly, after a few moments, from her kneeling position on the ground. This got what could only be a sneer from Inu-Yasha, even though he could sense clearly that his brother was rattled by her power, and irritated that she'd stolen his prey from him.

"Yeah, you sure did. And I stayed there for fifty years...But as you can see, I'm alive and ready to take you on again!" Inu-Yasha retorted.

"Vile beast..." Kikyo whispered, tearfully, as she glared up at him; yet showing a hint of surprise when she saw Sesshomaru standing there, as well, "I despise you, you loathsome half-man!"

"I would agree with you on the 'loathsome' part, miko...But there are some things that do not make sense." Sesshomaru muttered; quite aware of the dirty look he was getting from Inu-Yasha, and ignoring it with the grace only he seemed capable of. At this, the revived miko turned her full attention to him.

"What do you mean? Who are you?" Kikyo demanded, yet got no answer from the taciturn Taiyoukai.

"What'd you mean by that, Sesshomaru?" Inu-Yasha questioned, also curious about what he'd meant. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed.

"Just watch." Sesshomaru murmured; watching as Kikyo's shoulder seemingly tore itself open, and blood sprayed from the gash. Reeling in pain, Kikyo put a hand to the wound, gazed in shock at it when it came away soaked in gore, then glared at the hanyou again.

"Why did you betray me, Inu-Yasha?.!" Kikyo howled, furiously; hardly even noticing when the hanyou's face took on a look of horror.

"_Had Sesshomaru known this was going to happen?.!_" Inu-Yasha wondered, then asked, "What the hell's going on? Where's that blood coming from?.!"

"Look closer, Inu-Yasha. Is that not the fatal wound ye inflicted on Kikyo?" Kaede questioned, rhetorically, as the blood continued to flow freely down Kikyo's right arm.

"I inflicted?.! What're you saying? That I was the one who'd murdered Kikyo...?" Inu-Yasha again asked, stunned by this accusation for more than one reason.

"That seems to be the case." Sesshomaru stated, "_But something still doesn't make sense._"

"It was your wounds that sealed her fate and ensured her demise!" Kaede added; noting with some surprise how Inu-Yasha's face had paled at that comment.

"This must be a mistake! I didn't kill her! I don't even remember wounding her!" Inu-Yasha said, when he was able to get a coherent thought through his stunned mind.

"Can ye be certain?.! These wounds did not come from your hand? Try to remember!" Kaede ordered, yet was taken aback by the expression on the hanyou's face.

"As much as I dislike saying it, I don't think it is possible for that seal to have erased such a vital memory. Spells like that only freeze you in place and time, until they are lifted. Memories are normally kept intact." Sesshomaru said, then added, "Since it seems the hanyou is telling us the truth, and he didn't kill the miko, the only question that remains...is who did."

"You're even more vile than I thought, Inu-Yasha...inventing such feeble excuses...and getting another youkai to lie for you." Kikyo spat, angrily; getting a caustic glare from Sesshomaru in response to that.

"Inu-Yasha, do you not remember when you told me that you wished to be human?" Kikyo then asked, as a bitter smile appeared on her pale face. Kaede jerked slightly in surprise.

"Impossible! He wants to be a youkai!" Kaede said, voicing her shock at the revelation.

"You said you would become human. I believed your words...So that day, I carried the Shikon Jewel to you...It was when I was alone in the field, that you attacked me from behind, and tore me open with your cruel claws. You told me then that you had no intention of becoming human, and took the Jewel...with the promise that you were about to cause more bloodshed and death." Kikyo continued, and the bitterness returned to her eyes.

"But...Kikyo!" Inu-Yasha shakily said, not believing what he'd just heard.

"I can't believe Inu-Yasha could have committed such a heinous crime..." Kaede muttered.

"You're suggesting I was the one who'd betrayed you?.!" Inu-Yasha questioned; almost looking ill as he did so.

"You know it is true. That was why I summoned the last of my strength...and bound you to that tree." Kikyo said, as she began to approach him. Once again, the Tenseiga sprang to life; trembling violently in its' sheath in warning to both Sesshomaru and Inu-Yasha.

"Keep your distance." Sesshomaru warned, fully prepared to unsheathe the blade, if necessary.

"Do you intend to cut me down?" Kikyo asked, completely unafraid of the Taiyoukai.

"Think what you will, but do not come closer." Sesshomaru replied, as he gripped the violently shaking sword firmly. Without saying a word, Kikyo moved towards Inu-Yasha again; blatantly ignoring Sesshomaru's warnings, grabbing Inu-Yasha's haori in a tight grip, and forcing some of her purifying powers into it. Inu-Yasha could only cry out in pain for a brief moment, before the strength of the attack sent him flying. Yet, before she could move in and finish what she'd started, Kikyo found the path blocked by both Sesshomaru and Kaede.

"Stop this assault, Kikyo!" Kaede begged, as she tried to reason with her revived sister.

"Who are you?" Kikyo asked, confusedly, as the older woman got alongside her.

"I am your younger sister, Kaede! My looks have altered because fifty years have passed since your demise!" Kaede explained, desperately.

"Then explain why you speak on Inu-Yasha's behalf!" Kikyo demanded, then grabbed the bow and quiver of arrows from the elderly miko, and started firing at Inu-Yasha. She uttered a startled cry when Sesshomaru attacked with Tenseiga drawn, and began firing at him, as well.

"Sesshomaru!" Inu-Yasha shouted, when he'd seen how close Kikyo had been to getting cut down by Tenseiga. The Taiyoukai paid no heed, as he deflected arrows and swiped at the revived miko mercilessly...Only to be stopped when two arrows lodged themselves in his left shoulder and arm; forcing him to drop Tenseiga with a gasp.

"_Damn_..._she's almost as good as some of the youkai archers I have met_..." Sesshomaru thought, inwardly impressed by her skill with a bow, yet also alarmed when he realized that his arm was now completely paralyzed. He allowed a snarl to slip from between his lips, when Kikyo stood over him and drew another arrow back; prepared to fire it into his skull, point blank.

"Kikyo, don't!" Inu-Yasha shouted, as he boldly pulled Sesshomaru out of the way; slinging the good arm over his shoulders and continuing to dodge the arrows fired at him.

"What the hell are you doing, hanyou?.!" Sesshomaru hissed; wincing slightly when Inu-Yasha stopped just long enough to set him beside the lifeless Kagome.

"Getting your sorry ass outta trouble." Inu-Yasha replied, "See if Kaede can get those arrows out of your shoulder...I'll be back with the Tenseiga."

"Feh. Don't get sealed again." Sesshomaru grumbled.

"Don't jinx me." Inu-Yasha retorted; deciding wisely to ignore the concern-disguised-as-an-insult, and dodging just in time to avoid another arrow.

"You told me you wished to become human...and that you wished to be with me!" Kikyo cried, as she pulled another arrow back, and carefully watched Inu-Yasha's movements.

"Wait, Kikyo...I meant every word!" Inu-Yasha said, after a few moments, in a vain effort to appease Kikyo's soul.

"Liar! I was a fool beyond compare...for believing the far-fetched tales...and wishing to live together with you. I despised you with my last breath! My spirit will not forget that all-consuming hatred. So long as you live, my spirit cannot be freed!" Kikyo raged; standing poised with another arrow aimed directly at Inu-Yasha's heart.

"Inu-Yasha, you must destroy my sister's body at once! This rebirth is nothing but a deceit of magic. Destroy her body and release the soul from within!" Kaede shouted, painfully, as she picked up and held Kagome's limp form, and as Shippou and Sesshomaru hovered near her.

"It's futile! I shall not return to that body until I have carried out my revenge on that beast!" Kikyo growled, as she then released the arrow, and sent it blazing towards the hanyou. With desperation moving him, Inu-Yasha unsheathed the Tetsusaiga in an effort to deflect the arrow; fear appearing when the Tetsusaiga itself was overwhelmed.

"_Damn!_" Sesshomaru thought, his eyes widening when he saw this; even his father's fang was no match!

"It has overcome Tetsusaiga! Run, Inu-Yasha!" Kaede cried; cringing when an ear-splitting yell erupted from the hanyou's throat in response to the arrow burning its' way through his haori. And yet, it was this cry of agony that provoked at least one small miracle. At that instant, Kagome's eyes abruptly opened, and the soul within Kikyo began to return!

"Oh no!" Kikyo cried in alarm, when she noticed what was happening, "No! Not yet!"

"The girl is trying to call the soul back into her own body..." Sesshomaru murmured; trying to keep the relief from coloring his words as he spoke. Kaede nodded in agreement, as she laid the schoolgirl back down on the ground, and they watched as the soul re-entered her body. At that exact moment, the attack on Inu-Yasha ceased, and he fell to one knee in exhaustion.

"_Now where did_...?" Sesshomaru silently asked, as he warily looked around for the undead miko, and saw her slowly moving off; distancing herself from Kagome.

"Some part of the soul must remain inside..." Inu-Yasha gasped, as he leaned heavily on the Tetsusaiga; starting somewhat when Urasue's voice disrupted the almost sepulchral silence that had fallen.

"That which keeps Kikyo moving is no more than her deep hatred. It seems that most of the soul has returned to the young girl from whence it had come. Kikyo's hatred of you, and the need she has for revenge, must have absorbed into the bones and graveside soil itself. The once-pure maiden is now a monster...A monster feeding on its' hatred of you. Lovely image, is it not?" Urasue giggled, before what was left of her crumbled into dust.

"Finally..." Sesshomaru muttered, yet managed an irritated look when Inu-Yasha raced off to catch up with Kikyo.

"Are ye all right, Sesshomaru-sama?" Kaede asked, wearily.

"If you mean my arm, then no, it isn't." Sesshomaru replied, shortly. They both looked down when they heard Kagome moan softly, and then open her eyes.

"Kagome! You're alive!" Shippou shouted, joyfully, as the girl shakily sat up.

"Hai...But what just...? Oh, Sesshomaru-sama! Your shoulder!" Kagome yelped, as she became more aware of the situation, and saw the two arrows jutting from the Taiyoukai's left arm and shoulder.

"It doesn't hurt...much..." Sesshomaru muttered, flinching when the girl carefully pulled them out, and allowed the feeling to return to the limb. She gave him an arched eyebrow for that.

"Sure it doesn't." Kagome mumbled, sarcastically, then turned and looked at Shippou. With a grin and a nod, the young kitsune raced off to go and get the first aid kit. As she put pressure on the wounds to stop the bleeding, Kagome could only give him an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry. You got hurt because I didn't listen..." Kagome murmured, a bit guiltily.

"Don't blame yourself...If anything...it's more the hanyou's fault than your's." Sesshomaru said, a bit awkwardly, since he wasn't used to being considerate of a human's feelings.

"Okay. Arigatou." Kagome said, as a slight smile appeared on her face. Kaede could only shake her head in amusement, as she watched and listened as the young girl and Taiyoukai interacted. Even though it had been true that he'd hated humans up until now, even she could see that he had a bit of a soft spot for Kagome. It wasn't love, by a long shot, but it seemed to be the beginning of at least a comradery.

"_What remains to be seen is how far it will take them._" Kaede mused, as Shippou returned with the white box full of medical supplies, and as Kagome started treating Sesshomaru's wounds.

"By the way, Sesshomaru-sama, are you going to be traveling with us full time, now?" Kagome asked, curiously, as she helped him unbuckle his breastplate, and lower his haori.

"I would think so, since I have that much more to worry about. Kikyo's arrow had overwhelmed Tetsusaiga...thus, I am a little concerned as to what could happen, if my father awakens and finds himself in her sights." Sesshomaru admitted, as he allowed her to put medicine in the small wounds, and then bandage them tightly.

"I see..." Kagome said; nodding in understanding before saying, "Don't worry. I'm sure we'll find more leads on where he is, as we go. And I'm sure he'll have quite a story to tell, when we do find him."

"That goes without saying." Sesshomaru reluctantly agreed; yet could only wonder what else they would encounter before they found the former Taiyoukai...

Author's Note!

I have no idea why this chapter turned out like this! (In other words, feel free to flame, since I'm not overly fond of this one, either!)

Gemini14


	10. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

The scent of blood and smoke was thick in the air around him, as the sounds of battle came to his ears.

"_It's no use! There's too many of them!_" someone shouted, his voice almost lost in the roars of the youkai around him.

"_We must keep going! She's counting on us!_" another argued, with desperation mounting in his tone, as he spoke.

"_Old friend, even for a miko as powerful as she, this many youkai would be too many for her to handle on her own_….._There might be nothing we can do, even when we get there._" The first voice, that of which belonged to the powerful Taiyoukai of the Western Province, said grimly; even as the warrior beside him stubbornly shook his head.

"_I won't let her die, Touga. I promised her that I would protect her._" The warrior said, firmly. It was at that moment, that a brilliant light erupted from deeper within the cave.

"_Chichiue! What's that light?!_" a child's voice yelped, almost fearfully.

"_I don't know_……_Oh kami_……_Sesshomaru! To me! Quickly!_" Touga shouted, as he swiftly gathered him in his strong arms, and then braced himself. Seconds later, all three of them were sent flying out of the cave by a powerful blast; the way in sealed behind them by an equally powerful barrier. Not knowing what else to do, Sesshomaru held on for dear life to his father's armor; shivering in fear as the backlash sent them sprawling. Touga bit back a growl as his back met the stony ground outside of the cave, and then slid for about a hundred feet more before finally coming to a stop.

"_D-daijobu desu ka_……_Chichiue?_" Sesshomaru whispered, even though his face was partially hidden in his father's pelt.

"_Just winded_….._is all. Are you all right, pup?_" Touga quietly replied. Sesshomaru could only nod.

"_This just can't be true_……._Midoriko_……." the warrior's voice almost sobbed, as he sat up and stared into the now-dark cave, and at the barrier that could just barely be seen, with a horrified look in his eyes.

"_Old friend_……" Touga murmured, as he placed a sympathetic hand on the man's white-mantled shoulder, and they all gazed sadly into the darkness.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

With a start, the current Taiyoukai of the Western Lands awoke. At first disoriented by how vivid the dream/memory had been, Sesshomaru could only breathe a sigh of relief when he realized that he wasn't just beyond the cave. Instead, he now sat in a forest clearing. A campfire crackled merrily in the center, as Kagome slept peacefully in her sleeping bag, with Shippou right beside her, and as Inu-Yasha dozed in the branches of a tree overhead. Or so he thought, at least, until he heard the hanyou move to look down at him.

"You sure woke up fast." Inu-Yasha muttered, as he came down from his perch and sat just opposite his full-youkai brother, "Nightmare?"

"Why do you wish to know? You're not actually concerned about me, are you?" Sesshomaru questioned; allowing an eyebrow to rise in skepticism at the idea.

"Feh. Not really. Just wondering why you woke up looking so spooked, that's all." Inu-Yasha retorted; actually seeming surprised when Sesshomaru allowed a troubled look to cross his features.

"A memory from long ago…….paid me a visit tonight…..And I can only wonder why." Sesshomaru murmured, his eyes narrowing when he remembered the acrid smell of the smoke and blood, and the frightening feel of the power enveloping him, his father, and their ally and then throwing them from the cave.

"Does it have something to do with where the old man is now?" Inu-Yasha asked, as a slight glimmer of hope appeared in his own eyes.

"No telling. It was from so long ago, that it was before my own mother had died. Before….." Sesshomaru trailed off, then shook his head to rid it of another unpleasant memory.

"Before what?" Inu-Yasha asked, becoming a bit impatient with his brother's strangely cryptic behavior.

"It's none of your concern." Sesshomaru snapped, then silently added, "_And I can only hope that you never have to find out._" He ignored it when Inu-Yasha started grumbling profanities under his breath at this; turning his thoughts inwards as he did so. Why had he dreamed about that long ago tragedy? What connection did it have to the quest he was reluctantly participating in now? He uttered a sigh when no answers came to his unspoken questions, then stood and walked out of the clearing.

"_What was that dream trying to tell me?_" Sesshomaru wondered, as he paused at the edge of the forest, and gazed up at the star-studded sky overhead.

"_And will I find out before something as dire happens?_"

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Kagome could only sigh and watch, as she traveled alongside the two youkai and the hanyou. Even though there seemed to be no strife between them, now, she could tell that there was something bothering at least two of them.

"_I know what it is that's bothering Inu-Yasha_….._But what about Sesshomaru? It isn't really like him to be this absorbed in his thoughts_….." Kagome mused, as she carefully reached out and placed a hand on the youkai lord's left arm to get his attention. When he'd turned his head to look at her, she could see just the faintest hint of strain in his golden eyes; an emotion that he was doing his best to hide.

"You look worried. Is something bothering you?" Kagome asked, concernedly, as she looked up at him. Sesshomaru merely shook his head.

"It is nothing……At least, I hope it isn't." Sesshomaru quietly said; admitting to the fact that he was indeed thinking about something that troubled him greatly. Kagome could only smile gently at him, in encouragement.

"If you ever need to talk to someone, I'm here. I may not understand everything, but at least you won't have to carry the burden alone. Okay?" Kagome said, reassuringly.

"You're indeed a strange one…..and you may not fully understand what it is that troubles me…..but your offer is accepted, either way." Sesshomaru murmured, with almost a hint of relief in his quiet tone; allowing the human girl to see that he was grateful for the 'listening ear' she offered….even if that emotion alone bewildered him. It was when they stopped at around midday, that he allowed the foreboding feeling to lift from around him. He watched as Kagome and Shippou got a drink from a nearby stream, then gave his brother an almost deadpan look. Once again, the hanyou was standing a short distance away from them with his back to them, his own mind clearly elsewhere.

"Pining over your dead miko again, Inu-Yasha?" Sesshomaru muttered; feeling the urge to throw something at the hanyou's head, when he didn't even react to the taunt.

"I've never seen him act this way before." Shippou said, as Kagome walked over and stood alongside Sesshomaru (they were now a few feet behind the strangely silent hanyou).

"Neither have I." Kagome agreed, before the young kitsune leaped from Kagome's arms, and smacked Inu-Yasha on the head to rouse him from his thoughts. With almost a lightning-fast move, Inu-Yasha grabbed Shippou's tail, and held him up so he could make eye contact with the pup.

"What'd you do that for, shrimp?" Inu-Yasha asked, irritably.

"To knock some sense into you! We're supposed to be looking for your father and the Shikon Jewel Shards, remember?!" Shippou snapped, angrily.

"Get off my back. Even a guy like me needs some time to himself to think every once in a while." Inu-Yasha retorted.

"Can one thought even survive in that head of yours', hanyou?" Sesshomaru asked; allowing a deadpan look to cross his face, as he said that.

"Shut up!" Inu-Yasha growled, then added, "You've been lookin' pretty thoughtful yourself since we left camp this morning! You still hung up over that damn dream of yours' or what?" When she heard Sesshomaru utter a growl under his breath, Kagome wisely backed away; giving him some space while looking warily at him. Then she glared at Inu-Yasha, when she was certain that the Taiyoukai wasn't about to begin another battle with him, and stifled a growl of her own.

"Inu-Yasha….." Kagome said, warningly. The hanyou then froze and went silent; he knew what was coming, and gave her almost a look of dread in response to it.

"Osuwari!" Kagome shouted; sending the hanyou to meet the ground, once again.

"He just doesn't know when to shut up." Shippou muttered, exasperatedly, as he watched and listened as Inu-Yasha started cursing from around a mouthful of dirt and grass.

"On that, pup, we both agree." Sesshomaru grumbled, yet surprised Kagome and Shippou when he actually snickered softly at Inu-Yasha's expense.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Meanwhile, on another mountain path, a young man was trying to decide which way to go. Before him, there lay two different paths; one led into a nearby valley, and the other, deeper into the mountains. Unable to really make up his mind, the young houshi allowed his staff to drop from his hand, to land with a clang at his feet.

"Go…..right?" he murmured, when he saw which way the staff's head pointed. He turned to look when he heard some more travelers on the path behind him; talking between themselves as they went.

"Have you heard about the new young woman working at the rest house up ahead?" one asked of his companion.

"Hai. They say her fair complexion and beautiful eyes are unparalleled. And I understand she's unattached." The other replied, cheerfully.

"In that case, I could use a bite to eat!" the first said, agreeably, as they both took the path to the left of the houshi. With an eager and almost lecherous grin, the houshi stood, then changed the staff's direction with his foot.

"Ah, to the left it is, then!" the houshi said, with a chuckle, then picked up the staff again and started walking. And Miroku was not one to miss out on meeting a beautiful woman, if he had anything to say about it!

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

At the same time, unbeknownst to the young houshi, four other travelers were also heading in the same direction.

"Sesshomaru-sama, is there someplace where we can stop along the way?" Kagome asked, as they walked along. The afternoon was swiftly segueing into evening, and she wanted to go ahead and eat something and possibly get a bath as well before bedding down for the night.

"There should be some hot-springs just ahead. It shouldn't take too long to get there…..assuming, of course, the hanyou doesn't raise too much of a fuss about stopping." Sesshomaru replied, dryly; giving Inu-Yasha an unreadable look while he was at it.

"Get off my back, dammit." Inu-Yasha grumbled, irritably, in response. Even without Kagome's customary warning glance in the hanyou's direction, it was clear who had won the argument…..and it only furthered Inu-Yasha's annoyance, to no end.

Author's Note!

Even though this chapter had ended in an odd way, I hope it made sense! I'll try to have the next one up soon, I promise!

Gemini14


	11. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

Even though he was reluctant to admit it, it actually felt good to take a moment to relax. Sesshomaru allowed a sigh to escape, as he sat down in one of the hot springs, allowing his mind to wander, as he did so. Despite the amount of time that had passed between the initial injury of his left arm, and now, it was still healing. And then there was the dream he'd had the previous night…..Why had that memory returned, after so long? What did it have to do with anything that was going on now?

"_So many questions, and no one to answer them. I suppose it explains why I am still traveling with the hanyou_…." Sesshomaru mused, as he gazed at the moon overhead. In a few short nights, the new moon would come again, and another hazardous night would ensue…..a thought that made Sesshomaru's expression sour.

"_Were you counting on this happening, Chichiue? Or was it fate's perverted sense of humor?_" Sesshomaru wondered, as he listened to the conversation between Kagome and Inu-Yasha, and then that between said hanyou and Shippou; inwardly snickering when the child's blunt words caught Inu-Yasha off guard.

"He has you pegged, little brother." Sesshomaru stated, offhandedly, as he glanced over at the fuming hanyou, and allowed a slight smirk to appear, while saying that.

"Shut up." Inu-Yasha growled, and gave him a scathing glare, in return. Yet they both reacted, when they heard Kagome yelp in surprise; Inu-Yasha rushing over to see what was going on, and Sesshomaru glancing briefly that way to see what had startled the miko so badly. To Sesshomaru's amusement, some monkeys had come up from behind the young miko, and had begun playing with her hair…..and, in turn, Kagome had somehow lifted one of the larger rocks from beside the spring, and had hit Inu-Yasha over the head with it.

"I'm fine, okay? Now, go away please." Kagome muttered, in embarrassment.

"I don't think he heard you, Miko." Sesshomaru said; pointing out the fact that she had successfully knocked the hanyou out, this time around…..and that he was floating face-down in the water in front of her, sporting a huge knot on his head as proof of the blow.

"Oops….." Kagome mumbled, then blushed profusely, "You just saw me too, didn't you, Sesshomaru-sama?!"

"Didn't see a thing." Sesshomaru replied, from behind the natural wall of rocks between them, yet still silently added, "_Though you'd better be grateful that my father wasn't here, girl. If he had, __then__ you would have had a real reason to be embarrassed._"

"Yeah, right! Then how could you have known that I have just knocked Inu-Yasha out?!" Kagome asked, skeptically.

"I heard the rock connect with that empty head of his…..Quite a dull tone, I must say." Sesshomaru muttered, moodily, in response.

"I heard it too, Kagome!" Shippou added, with a laugh; corroborating with the Taiyoukai, this time around. Despite the fact that she was supposed to feel indignant about the brothers seeing her in the nude, Kagome couldn't quite stop some of the giggles at the Taiyoukai's remark from getting through.

"What did it sound like, Sesshomaru-sama?" Kagome asked, as she watched Shippou change form and drag the unconscious hanyou out of the hot spring, and sat down again.

"Like a bent gong." Sesshomaru replied; smirking when Kagome actually laughed, this time.

"That is bad!" Kagome said, agreeing with him on that much, at least.

"And it isn't going to get any better, either. Is it, Sesshomaru-sama?" Shippou asked, as he jumped onto the natural wall and grinned down at the Taiyoukai.

"Not likely, pup." Sesshomaru muttered, as he relaxed against his side of the wall; listening as Shippou jumped back into the water on Kagome's side…..and remembering similar events from long ago.

"_I wonder if I ever will find the answers I'm looking for?_" Sesshomaru wondered; not realizing that the entire conversation had just been listened to……as well as what the next day held in store for them.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

After a fairly restful night, and an almost peaceful morning before they broke camp, Sesshomaru could almost sense that something was about to happen. Even though he was partially aware of the conversation going on around him between Kagome, Inu-Yasha, and Shippou, something, he wasn't sure exactly what, was trying to get his attention.

"_But what is it, exactly? This feeling of unease hasn't abated in the slightest since the other night_….._Why now, of all times, would the memories of that time return? I don't understand_….." Sesshomaru thought; pausing and looking when Kagome gently caught him by the sleeve on his haori, and gave him a concerned look.

"You're looking worried again…..What's wrong?" Kagome asked, gently; careful to keep her voice quiet enough so Inu-Yasha wouldn't notice where the conversation was going. For her question, she only received a sigh in response.

"It's said that the past can cling to a person like a heavy weight…..I suppose I am finding out the hard way that that much is true. When my father disappeared, and was assumed dead, it was actually easier to move forward…..Now, I'm not as certain." Sesshomaru admitted, as they walked along through the idyllic countryside.

"Do you doubt that you're even a Taiyoukai now, Sesshomaru-san?" Kagome again asked, letting him know that he could confide in her, if he wanted to.

"It isn't that….." Sesshomaru murmured, then looked directly at her again, "Is all you know about the Shikon no Tama truly all there is to know? Where did it come from originally?" Kagome in turn shrugged.

"No idea. I guess we'll find out more the farther we travel…." Kagome answered, then thought, "_He's seeming more worried about the Sacred Jewel and what it is capable of, than about who owns the Tetsusaiga_….._I wonder why?_"

"Does something about the Sacred Jewel bother you, Sesshomaru-sama?" Shippou asked, boldly, even though there was concern for the Taiyoukai in his green gaze, as well. He got only a nod from the taciturn youkai for an answer.

"It's power is unsettling….even in it's shattered state, a single shard is enough to unleash unbelievable power in whoever that finds it." Sesshomaru said, quietly, then silently added, "_And there's something else about it that seems sickeningly familiar_….."

"What're you three mumblin' about over there? Hurry up!" Inu-Yasha impatiently shouted, as he glared at his three companions irritably.

"Such impudence…." Jaken grumbled, as he in turn gave the hanyou an irked look, as well.

"Just ignore him, Jaken." Sesshomaru muttered, with a strained sigh, before they all got back on the path and continued on their way.

"Trying to make up for the fact that you saw me naked last night, Inu-Yasha?" Kagome asked, jokingly; trying to lighten the mood around them, and giggling softly when the hanyou actually froze, turned as red as his haori and hakama, and gave her an indecipherable (yet very much embarrassed) look.

"What does THAT have anything to do with?!" Inu-Yasha snapped, as he tried to salvage what was left of his dignity; growling softly when Sesshomaru hid what could have been a snicker behind a slight cough, at his expense.

"C'mon, can't you see the humor in it?" Kagome questioned, getting an adamant 'No!' from Inu-Yasha, and a 'Speak for yourself' from Sesshomaru in answer to it.

"I saw nothing!!" Inu-Yasha retorted; flustered by Kagome's teasing, and even moreso by the amusement he was seeing in his brother's eyes.

"He did see something, right?" Kagome in turn asked Shippou.

"I was looking somewhere else." Shippou replied, honestly; grinning conspiratorially at Sesshomaru as he said that.

"I'd say it's very likely, miko, since Inu-Yasha was facing you after you knocked him out." Sesshomaru added.

"And how would you know that? Did you see me too?" Kagome asked, teasingly; feeling some hint of victory, when Sesshomaru's normally calm expression gained a hint of what could have been embarrassment in it.

"_I rest my case._" Kagome mused, even though a part of her mind was still amazed by how much the Taiyoukai's personality seemed to have changed in such a short amount of time…..but she had no real idea just what exactly had brought the changes about, to begin with. By the time afternoon rolled around, the four travelers found themselves entering the outskirts of a mountain range; Kagome had taken up the lead, with Inu-Yasha and Sesshomaru following close behind her, and with Jaken bringing up the rear (Shippou, in the meantime, was now riding in the basket hanging from the handlebars of Kagome's bike).Yet they were all taken completely off-guard, when something came barreling it's way down the mountainside towards them.

"I have come for ye!" the creature roared, as it scattered their group; sending Inu-Yasha and Shippou flying, Kagome scrambling for safer footing out of the youkai's reach, and forcing Sesshomaru to leap high into the air above them with Jaken clinging tightly to his pelt as he went.

"Inu-Yasha!!" Kagome yelped, when she'd seen the hanyou fall, and then uttering a surprised cry, when a hand grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her up.

"W-what the….?!" Kagome was heard to shout, prompting Sesshomaru to look down, and see that she had just been caught by what appeared to be a houshi!

"_Never one for staying out of trouble_….." Sesshomaru mentally grumbled, as he began to descend; preparing to attack as soon as he was close enough.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

"What do you think you're doing?!" Kagome shouted, angrily, as the houshi began pedaling her bike away from the scene, with her on his lap in the meantime.

"Fear not, young lady. There is no reason to doubt my intentions. I am merely a houshi who sought a Sacred Jewel shard and rescued you in the process." The houshi replied, with a smile.

"You make me sound like some sort of consolation prize!!" Kagome said, indignantly; not taking into account that the houshi shouldn't have been able to even ride her bike properly, considering what era this was….

"You would do well to let said young lady go now, while you still breathe." Sesshomaru's voice intoned; making the both of them look up, and see the youkai lord swiftly catching up with them….and it didn't take long for Inu-Yasha to also get his footing again, unsheathe the Tetsusaiga, and brandish it menacingly over the other attacking youkai.

"Quite the violent ones, I see." The houshi muttered, calmly, stopping when he heard the youkai utter a panicked cry at the sight of the Tetsusaiga, assume his false form, and then cower before the hanyou, and when Sesshomaru unleashed his venom whip from his claws in an effort to get him to release Kagome…..both of these actions getting him to unwrap what appeared to be some warding beads from around his right hand, and hold it out towards the brothers.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

It took mere seconds for Sesshomaru to regret even coming after the miko, when he felt what seemed to be a fierce wind kick up around him…..and it seemed to be drawing him towards the houshi and Kagome!

"_What in the name of the seven hells_…..?!" Sesshomaru's mind yelped, in alarm, as he struggled to find a good handhold in the cliff face beside him; hearing it when the Tetsusaiga imbedded itself in the rocks not too far away, and grabbing onto it and holding on for dear life…..ignoring the searing pain that came from the sword itself, when he did this.

"Sesshomaru! Let go of my sword!!" Inu-Yasha shouted, over the roar of the wind around them; before plowing headlong into the rocks nearby, just moments afterwards.

"This time it was out of self-preservation, little brother. No fault of mine." Sesshomaru muttered, even though he knew the hanyou couldn't hear him (mainly because of the wind, and his head was buried too deeply to have heard him, anyway).

"Inu-Yasha! Sesshomaru-san, hang on!!" Kagome cried, when she'd seen all of this happen right before her eyes; prompting her to break free of the houshi's grasp on her own, and rush over to them, "Let me go!"

"Gladly, seeing as I have what I came for." Miroku said, with a grin, as he watched Kagome go to the brothers' sides, glanced at the Shikon Jewel fragment he now held in his hand and then started pedaling off; the wind abruptly stopping, when he had done this.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

If ever there was a moment when Sesshomaru had been glad to see the wind stop blowing, now was certainly that time. Even without needing his keen nose, he could tell that the flesh on both of his hands was badly burned, thanks to the barrier around the Tetsusaiga.

"_Ow_……" Sesshomaru's mind mumbled, as he finally let go of the sword, and got a good look at his hands; wincing when he saw that they were now bleeding as well.

"Kaa-san was right…..I should've been a ferryman….." Jaken muttered; his voice sounding as stressed-out as Sesshomaru was sure his own expression now looked.

"Daijobu?!" Kagome asked, as she skidded to a halt between him and Inu-Yasha.

"I'll manage." Sesshomaru replied, even though he knew that Kagome had just seen how badly his hands had been burnt by Tetsusaiga's barrier, when he saw her eyes widen slightly.

"Let me see to your hands later, Sesshomaru-san, okay?" Kagome asked; getting a slight nod from the Taiyoukai in answer to that.

"Who the hell was that guy, anyway?!" Inu-Yasha questioned, as he finally pulled his head out of the rock-face, and angrily glared in the direction the houshi had gone in.

"He did say that he was a houshi, or something to that effect…..but what was the deal with his hand?" Kagome mused, aloud.

"What does his hand have anything to do with?" Jaken in turn asked, before anyone could stop him.

"It'd seemed like that storm had come from his hand…..but I can't be sure." Kagome replied, as she started pulling some of the first aid supplies out of her bag (that of which had ended up nearby), and ushering for Sesshomaru to let her see his hands.

"_As strange as that sounds_….._it actually makes some sense_….." Sesshomaru silently admitted; clenching his jaw and allowing his eyes to narrow slightly in some discomfort, when Kagome began cleaning the burns on his palms and fingers with an alcohol-soaked cloth.

"Serves you right, for grabbing onto my sword like that." Inu-Yasha muttered, as he stood up, grabbed the Tetsusaiga's hilt, and then sheathed said sword while he was at it.

"Miko, the word please." Sesshomaru grumbled, as he gave his brother an unreadable, almost deadpan look.

"Oh, you mean 'Osuwari'?" Kagome questioned, rhetorically; listening as the hanyou did yet another face-plant into the rocks…..but, this time, Kagome had been the one to do it.

"One of these days…..Sesshomaru……" Inu-Yasha growled, from between bared fangs, as he watched Kagome bandage the youkai lord's hands, and felt his hackles rise when all Sesshomaru did in response to that, was arch an eyebrow, and give him a skeptical look.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Soon enough, they were back on the trail again; this time trying to track the houshi down that had stolen Kagome's bicycle and Jewel Shards…..all the while with Inu-Yasha breathing out death-threats as he ran. Keeping in mind to keep pace with the hanyou, Sesshomaru could only inwardly sigh, and wonder about whatever had caused the windstorm earlier; had it truly come from the houshi's hand? If so, then how was it even possible?

"_I've never heard of any human who has been able to harness the wind as that houshi had_…._There __has__ to be more to it, than that_….._But what?_" Sesshomaru wondered, uneasily; remembering only too well just how strong the wind had been, and what it had taken to keep from being drawn into the center of it. He allowed those thoughts to drift away, when they arrived in a town; watching with some amusement as his brother got down on all fours and started sniffing the ground, struggling to pick up the houshi's scent from amidst the rest that way.

"You could be helpin' with this situation, Sesshomaru." Inu-Yasha grumbled, irritably looking his way for a moment, and glaring at him as he did so. Again, he got a skeptical look from the Taiyoukai.

"And why should I do that? It's bad enough that you've dragged me into this mess of yours'." Sesshomaru retorted, even though he was, even then, trying to locate the houshi's scent, as well.

"Lazy bastard." Inu-Yasha growled, his words getting a furious squawk from Jaken, and then a whack from the Staff of Heads for good measure.

"Don't you dare say such things about Sesshomaru-sama, you worthless hanyou!!" Jaken raged, as he continued 'knocking some sense' into the half demon as he said that.

"Oi! Sesshomaru! Call 'im off!" Inu-Yasha snapped, by now becoming extremely annoyed by the toad's beating, and Sesshomaru's lack of action. At this, the youkai lord merely ignored him, and turned his head in another direction; smirking when he spotted the stolen bicycle. It was now leaned against the side of one of the larger buildings in the town, a clear hint that wherever the houshi now was, he was still nearby.

"Miko, do you sense the shards anywhere?" Sesshomaru asked, when he'd seen that Kagome had followed his gaze, and also noticed the bike.

"Hai. They're in the building next to my bike." Kagome answered.

"Good. Jaken." Sesshomaru then said, the command in his tone unmistakable; prompting Jaken to stop in mid-swing.

"Hai, milord!" Jaken replied; watching as the miko and youkai lord rushed into the building itself, and then uttering another yelp when Inu-Yasha bashed him on the head in retaliation.

"You're so childish." Shippou muttered, dryly, before scampering off after Kagome and Sesshomaru; just barely avoiding getting smacked on the head again by the angry hanyou for his comment.

"I…..agree….." Jaken whimpered, from his crumpled position on the path, only able to watch as Inu-Yasha rushed inside after the trio; readying himself for a fight, as he went.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Miroku could only utter an exasperated sigh, as he sat and drank some sake. On both sides of him, sat two expensively-dressed women….Women who were quite ugly, despite their finery.

"_So much for this town's claims of having beautiful geishas! I would've been better off drinking with a female badger!_" Miroku inwardly sighed, yet looked up when he heard footsteps…..and felt a hint of a familiar youki nearby.

"_That youkai I'd faced earlier? What's he doing here?_" Miroku wondered; jumping back just in time to avoid getting hit with what appeared to be a glowing whip, and watching with seemingly unfazed eyes as it shattered the cup he'd been holding up until then (yet sending the geishas running in a panic to get out of the way of the incoming attack). Seconds later, the door was thrown open, and, to his surprise, three familiar people stood just outside of it!

"Well, well! It's too good to be true!" Miroku said, pleasantly, as he swiftly stood, dashed over, and took both of Kagome's hands in his own with a grin, "You're a real sight for sore eyes!"

"I'll give you sore eyes!" Inu-Yasha growled, as he swiped at Miroku with his claws, yet just barely missed hitting him.

"You again!" Miroku said, as he leaped back to get some more ground between him and the brothers; seeming surprised when he noticed that Sesshomaru hadn't tried to attack again….and only wondering why, at this point, "I should have figured that you wouldn't give up so easily!"

"Yeah, you should have! But I guess not all of us are blessed with good looks and brains!" Inu-Yasha growled.

"Good point." Sesshomaru muttered, and subsequently got a dirty look from Inu-Yasha for that insinuation…..as well as a slight sigh of exasperation from Kagome.

"I don't suppose you would be interested in returning the girl's Jewel Shard to her, would you?" Sesshomaru questioned; finally speaking up and giving the houshi an unreadable look as he spoke, and readying himself for another attack. At this, Miroku only smirked.

"A gem such as this doesn't belong to any youkai." Miroku replied, before turning, and then rushing out the back way of the building; with Inu-Yasha taking off in hot pursuit.

"Hot-headed fool." Sesshomaru grumbled, as he allowed his power level to return to normal, and then made to follow them.

"_And yet_….._was I really any different, when I was younger, Chichiue?_"

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

"Come back here and fight like a man!!" Inu-Yasha howled, furiously, as he chased Miroku through the center of the town; making mad swipes at his back with his claws as he did so.

"I will not fight a senseless battle." Miroku retorted, boldly, not slowing down in the slightest.

"It's all a matter of opinion!" Inu-Yasha snapped, before he unsheathed the Tetsusaiga, leaped into the air, and brought the sword down onto Miroku's head…..only to have it deflected by said houshi's staff, at the last moment!

"_He blocked the Tetsusaiga!_" Inu-Yasha inwardly yelped; shocked by this, yet pressing forward despite it. He was barely aware when Kagome and Sesshomaru appeared on the sidelines beside him, and saw it when they also showed some surprise over this development.

"_No ordinary mortal could hold off the blade in its' transformed state!_" Sesshomaru silently added; unwittingly finishing Inu-Yasha's thought, and watching tensely as the hanyou was forced to back off.

"If you insist on it, you will be punished for starting this." Miroku said, as a confident smile appeared on his handsome features.

"Feh, you're no houshi!" Inu-Yasha retorted, as he stood back, caught his breath, and then hefted the sword onto his shoulder; unsure of what move to make next.

"I assure you that I am. My name is 'Miroku', and I am a houshi who works to aid the common man." Miroku said, warning the hanyou again, and introducing himself, in one felled swoop.

"Only a houshi or miko of some spiritual strength could withstand and hold off an attack from that sword. Is it your own strength, or are you using the power of the Jewel Shard?" Sesshomaru asked, as he stepped away from Kagome's side, and took up a position beside Inu-Yasha. At this, Miroku's expression took on a hint of an insulted look.

"You misjudge me. My power is what it is, and I don't need the shard to add to it." Miroku replied, calmly.

"But you're still nothing more than a common thief! Give us back that shard! We went through hell to get it, and we're not about to lose it now!" Inu-Yasha snarled, angrily; remembering only too well the near-loss of Kagome to the Thunder Brothers…..and the severe wounds Sesshomaru had suffered, at their hands.

"Quite a touching speech….and I know full well of the hardship you had both endured to collect this gem…..But, trust me, it's in better hands now….Inu-Yasha and Sesshomaru!" Miroku argued, seemingly good-naturedly, as he removed the shard from its' hiding place in his robes, and showed it to them.

"So, you knew who we were all along?" Inu-Yasha asked, seeming surprised that his reputation had spread so far already.

"Was it that beautiful companion of yours' who had called you both by name, or the kitsune?" Miroku in turn asked, rhetorically; getting an irritated response from the hanyou….and an exasperated growl from the youkai beside him, as well.

"Idiot." Sesshomaru grumbled, as he rubbed his brow in aggravation at his brother's stupidity.

"Oh…..he can't be all bad, if he has such good taste!" Kagome said, dazedly, as a faint pink blush appeared on her face, at the compliment the houshi had just given.

"_And it is times like __this__ that I wonder why I even travel with them at all_….." Sesshomaru inwardly mumbled, as he waited for an opportunity to strike, and taking it when Inu-Yasha rushed forward again with a yell; brandishing Tetsusaiga over his head as he went. With a swiftness that put Inu-Yasha's fastest speed to shame, Sesshomaru wove his way between the strikes made by his brother and Miroku, snatched the chain the jar holding the Jewel Shard was attached to, and started to pull it away from the houshi's neck. And yet, with a reaction faster than he had seen in any human in a long time, Miroku rammed the staff's ringed end into his neck; knocking him back and forcing him to let go of the chain in one move.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" Jaken cried, when he'd seen his master falter and stumble back slightly; grasping his neck and coughing from the impact.

"Sesshomaru-san!" Kagome also yelped, when she'd seen him stagger back, and fall to one knee; breathing heavily in an effort to get his breath back, "Daijobu?!"

"Curse him…..he's good….." Sesshomaru hissed, through a bruised windpipe; wiping the blood from his lips from when he'd accidentally bitten the inside of his mouth from the impact, "_I haven't seen speed and strength like that from a human in quite a long while_….."

"But are you all right, Sesshomaru-sama? Can you breathe?" Shippou asked, worriedly; the memories of what had happened against the Thunder Brothers returning to him, as well, when he'd seen the blood dripping from the corner of the Taiyoukai's mouth.

"Of course he's all right! Sesshomaru-sama can't be beaten by that worthless human!" Jaken snapped, yet quieted when Sesshomaru got to his feet again, and gave him a cool look.

"Be ready with the Staff of Heads, Jaken. We might need it, in short order." Sesshomaru intoned, with a hint of an angry growl in his voice as he spoke. He would not stand to be made a fool of in front of anyone, least of all this houshi!

"R-right, milord!" Jaken replied, obediently, before they took off in the direction the fight was going in.

"They're both so hot-headed….." Shippou muttered.

"Better not let Sesshomaru or Inu-Yasha hear you say that, Shippou-chan." Kagome said, even though she could only agree, at this point.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

It was with confidence that Miroku allowed another grin to cross his face; so far, he was doing well in the fight against Inu-Yasha; successfully blocking every swing from the mighty Tetsusaiga with his staff…..at least until fate pulled another of its' tricks on him. For, no sooner did he take another step back, did he accidentally find some firewood that had been dropped by one of the villagers before the running battle had begun!

"Curse it!" Miroku gritted, before his staff was knocked from his hands, and he was knocked off of his feet by the blow; leaving him gazing up at the blade and its' angry owner.

"I'll have that Shard back now, unless you'd rather lose your head over it, that is!" Inu-Yasha growled, as he leveled the blade at Miroku's face.

"You would be wise to heed the warning, houshi." Sesshomaru added, as he also appeared at Inu-Yasha's side; his amber eyes narrowed only slightly, a vague hint of how irritated he truly was.

"You may try!" Miroku retorted, before quickly scrambling to his feet, and dashing away from them.

"Villagers, take heed! Distance yourselves from this place as quickly as you can! Hurry!" Miroku warned, as he raced away from the town's center as fast as his feet could carry him.

"_What in the seven hells is he doing?_" Sesshomaru wondered, briefly exchanging confused glances with Inu-Yasha, before they both took off in pursuit again; not even listening when Jaken breathlessly tried to get them to stop long enough for him to catch up. And they were only further confused, when the houshi finally got to the outside of the town, and turned to face them again; a knowing smile appearing on his features as he did so.

"End of the line! This time, victory's mine!" Inu-Yasha shouted, as he again lifted the Tetsusaiga above his head, and prepared to deliver the killing blow…..allowing bewilderment to appear in his eyes, when the houshi held out his right hand towards them.

"_Sesshomaru_….._Beware_….." a familiar voice warned, deep within Sesshomaru's subconscious…..a voice he knew only too well.

"_Chichiue?! What?!_" Sesshomaru silently yelped; turning his attention solely onto the young houshi before them, in response to the silent warning.

"This may come as a surprise to the both of you, but I'll have you know that I am a very sore loser!" Miroku said, before suddenly whipping the prayer beads off of his hand, and shouting, "Kazaana!!" As before, the powerful wind started pulling them towards the houshi….or, more precisely, the hole in the houshi's hand!

"Sesshomaru-sama! Hang on, milord!!" Jaken cried, before he sent flames flying from his own staff, and gaped in wordless horror, when they were swallowed up by the powerful winds and sucked into the hole itself. With only a few moments to make any moves to save himself, Sesshomaru quickly removed the sheathed sword he always carried at his side, drove it into the ground before him, and held on…..gritting his teeth when he started sliding forward, regardless. He started when he felt someone grab the back of his armor, and looked back in surprise; there stood Inu-Yasha, with the Tetsusaiga driven into the ground before him, risking his life to keep him from being pulled in!

"Shit! This is just like what we'd encountered back at the cliff! Where the hell'd this wind come from?!" Inu-Yasha shouted, over the roar of said wind; watching in barely-concealed horror, as all manner of things were drawn into the hole, from pieces of buildings, to even the few barnyard animals that were being kept nearby!

"It appears to be coming from the houshi's hand!" Sesshomaru replied; putting aside his surprise at his brother's actions, for the time being, and getting his attention back onto the situation they now found themselves in.

"Let's see how long you two can hold out against me!" Miroku taunted, from the safety behind his own hand.

"I call dibs on tearing him apart." Sesshomaru grumbled, when this comment rubbed him the wrong way.

"That's if you can get to 'im first." Inu-Yasha retorted, as he tightened his grip on the Tetsusaiga and his brother's armor; feeling some alarm when even the mighty fang started to get pulled towards the source of the wind.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

"Run away! Quickly, or we'll be drawn to our deaths!!" the villagers shouted, finally seeing just how dangerous this situation was, and running in the opposite direction as fast as they could go; leaving only Kagome, Shippou, and Jaken to watch where this was going.

"No! Milord!" Jaken cried, when he saw that both Sesshomaru and Inu-Yasha were getting pulled ever closer to the deadly hole.

"Hang on, you two!" Kagome shouted, as she reached out, grabbed the back of Jaken's robe, and pulled him back behind the relative safety of a wall.

"Unhand me, wench! My place is at Sesshomaru-sama's side!" Jaken howled, furiously; yet went silent when Kagome gave him a stern look that was finely edged with concern for all of their safety.

"How do you expect to continue serving him, if you die here?! Ever consider that, Jaken-san?!" Kagome asked; feeling some relief when the imp's gained a hint of realization in them, and he stopped struggling against her grip.

"We'd better escape from here while we can, before we get pulled in, too!" Shippou yelped, not really seeing any other way out for the brothers, at this point.

"We've got to stop him, somehow……but how? Wait…." Kagome muttered, then remembered how the houshi had warned the villagers of the coming danger, "He doesn't want to hurt any humans with that thing, so that's why he'd warned them!"

"But what good does that do us, girl?!" Jaken questioned, worriedly, even as a plan began to form in the back of Kagome's mind.

"_I hope this works!_" Kagome thought, as she abruptly stood, and ran out into the open…..

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

"Can't…..hold on…..for much longer….." Inu-Yasha growled. By now, both he and Sesshomaru were clinging to the hilt of the Tetsusaiga; with Sesshomaru clenching his teeth around the sheath of his own sword, while doing so, since the barrier around Inu-Yasha's sword was still active.

"Surrender while you still can! If you get sucked in, neither of you will ever come out!" Miroku said, still willing to give the both of them a chance to walk away from this encounter. At this, Sesshomaru managed a painful growl; prompting Inu-Yasha to look up, and see the stubborn glint in his older brother's eyes.

"No way in hell!" Inu-Yasha answered, speaking for the both of them, in this instance, "We'll be too busy hacking that damned hand of yours' off to surrender!" _Right, Sesshomaru?_

"_Right._" Sesshomaru silently agreed; nodding slightly in response to his brother's unspoken question…..unaware that this moment was repairing the rift between them, even further.

"My hand will pull you both in, sword and all!" Miroku added, yet paused when he saw a movement just behind them…..and felt his heart almost stop when he saw Kagome appear in the air above them!

"Kagome!!" Inu-Yasha yelped, when he'd also noticed this foolhardy yet brave act, on her part. And it was in this split second, that Sesshomaru saw another miko who had shared the same bold courage Kagome was showing now…..

"_Midoriko!!_" Sesshomaru silently shouted, as near panic froze his heart in mid-beat, he let go of the Tetsusaiga, and tried to grab her hand as she flew past….just barely missing it, and watching mutely as Miroku did what he could to prevent her from being drawn in. Seconds later, Kagome barreled into Miroku, full-force; knocking him off his feet, and succeeding in also knocking the wind out of him, as well.

"Kagome!" Inu-Yasha shouted, in alarm, when he'd gotten his bearings again, and then rushed to her side.

"Sesshomaru-sama! Are you all right, milord?!" Jaken asked, when he'd dashed up to the Taiyoukai, moments later.

"You certainly know how to ask stupid questions, Jaken." Sesshomaru growled, when he'd finally removed his own sword from his mouth; flinching when his hands protested against being used, and noticed that the bandages had been burnt off of them, and they were bleeding again.

"Kagome, are you crazy?! That stupid move could've gotten you killed!" Inu-Yasha snapped, the worry in his voice prompting Sesshomaru to look in that direction, and feel some relief over seeing that Kagome was safe and relatively unharmed.

"I wouldn't have done it if I'd had any doubts." Kagome replied; looking back at him, once she'd gotten up off of the unconscious houshi.

"That was indeed a very foolhardy move, miko. What makes you so sure he would have stopped for you?" Sesshomaru questioned, as he approached as well; careful to hide his injured hands from view, as he did so.

"Well, with a hand as powerful as that, he could've killed us a long time before now, if he'd really wanted to…..Let's at least give him a chance. Who knows? Maybe he can help us." Kagome suggested, before she felt what seemed to be a hand on her backside, and uttered a squeak of surprise; leaping into Inu-Yasha's arms, in response to the fondle.

"_Chichiue probably would have done the same_….." Sesshomaru thought, with a sigh and a deadpan look; already dreading the meeting between the miko and the former Taiyoukai, judging from just her reaction to that alone. He watched as Miroku suddenly sat up, and as Inu-Yasha prepared for another round.

"On second thought, go ahead! Kill him!" Kagome whimpered, from between embarrassed shudders, as she clung to the hanyou's haori sleeve.

"You just blew your last chance, pervert!" Inu-Yasha growled, angrily, as he held Kagome close and tried to comfort her. And yet, instead of flying into the defensive, Miroku only held his hands out in front of him in a placating gesture; proving to them that he didn't want to fight anymore.

"Please, settle down! Let me explain." Miroku said, calmly, when he'd seen just how ready the brothers were to defend Kagome's honor (Sesshomaru had been preparing to use his venom whip again, and was giving Jaken a sidewards glance, as he did that; waiting to give the imp the unspoken signal to use the Staff of Heads against him).

"Then start explaining, houshi, while you still have your head attached to your shoulders." Sesshomaru demanded, coldly, as they all sat down in front of Miroku and waited for him to explain what was going on.

"I am also in search for the shards of the Shikon no Tama. My purpose is to find and destroy a terrible youkai….by the name of Naraku." Miroku quietly said, his gaze becoming grim, as he told them this.

"'Naraku'?" Kagome asked, curiously, and as both Inu-Yasha and Sesshomaru began to pay closer attention to the conversation.

"Yes…..It was this same youkai that had left this cursed hole in my right hand." Miroku replied, somberly, as he gazed at said hand with a grim certainty in his blue eyes.

"What sort of youkai is he?" Kagome again asked.

"He is a very sly and wicked youkai…..who is thought to devour people…..But, otherwise, I know very little of him." Miroku murmured, then added, " But, my grandfather had battled Naraku long ago, in his youth. It was over fifty years ago….their battle ensued for years, and each time Naraku appeared, he took on the form of a different human."

"A shapeshifter? Are you certain?" Jaken asked, finally breaking his own uncertain silence in the face of this. Miroku nodded.

"The last time he appeared before my grandfather, he had taken on the form of a beautiful woman. My grandfather had had great spiritual powers, but, as fate would have it….." Miroku trailed off, with a sigh.

"He was a lecher, right?" Kagome asked, as a deadpan look appeared on her own face.

"Such remarkable intuition! But yes, he was indeed a 'lecher', as you had put it." Miroku replied, even as something akin to a worried expression emerged in Sesshomaru's eyes.

"_A youkai that is able to devour people, who also happens to be a powerful shapeshifter_….._Chichiue, how much danger are you now in?!_" Sesshomaru wondered, as honest fear for his sire's safety laid it's cold claws over his heart, yet forced himself to listen further to what was being said by his companions.

"Naraku pierced my grandfather's right hand with his sacred sutra, and disappeared, but before doing so, he cursed my grandfather and his entire line with the kazaana. And each year, the hole in my hand becomes larger, and the wind even more powerful in response to it. Unless I defeat Naraku…..I myself will eventually be devoured by the hole." Miroku said, as he finished telling them of what had happened fifty years before, and of his own quest.

"So it'll kill you if you don't stop him?" Shippou asked, as some sympathy emerged for the unlucky houshi in his emerald eyes.

"Yes. And I am prepared to meet such a fate, if it is truly my destiny…..But, in the meantime, I must continue to hunt for Naraku. Not so long ago, the Shikon no Tama was shattered, and is now scattered across the land into many tiny shards. Knowing Naraku, he is certain to try and gather them, in order to strengthen his own fiendish power. Of that I am sure of…..since I know he had come close to getting it before, fifty years ago…..In doing so, he slew the miko protecting it." Miroku stated; starting somewhat when Inu-Yasha abruptly stood in response to his words.

"You say he slew a miko?" Inu-Yasha asked, as his amber eyes took on a fiery glint.

"Hai. That's right." Miroku responded, a bit uncertainly.

"Then he must have disguised himself as you, and struck the miko down…." Sesshomaru mused, aloud, some of his unease emerging in his voice, as he said that.

"If that's the case…..then what does this Naraku look like now?! What does his current form look like?!" Inu-Yasha asked, as he pulled Miroku to his feet, and glared into his blue eyes.

"If I knew that, then I would have located and slain him long ago." Miroku stated, as he stood up on his own, and carefully freed himself from Inu-Yasha's grip.

"Then, if we keep looking for these Jewel fragments, we're sure to run into Naraku sooner or later, ourselves." Kagome said, as she also stood, and then thoughtfully looked at the jar of Jewel Shards in her hand; startling both Miroku and Inu-Yasha in the fact that she had reclaimed them without their noticing it, "Let's search for them together! If we don't act fast, then you're a goner, right?" At this, she got a warm smile from the houshi in answer to the concern in her voice.

"My near Kagome-san, are you, in fact, troubled by this wretched fate of mine?" Miroku asked; seeming genuinely moved by her honesty. Kagome nodded.

"_Here it comes_……" Sesshomaru inwardly muttered, seeing what was coming, and allowing his expression to deadpan, once again, as he watched Miroku grasp both of Kagome's hands in his, and look earnestly into her eyes.

"Then would you do me this one favor? Will you bear me a son?" Miroku again asked……his question earning him the most humorous look from Kagome that Sesshomaru had ever seen.

"A-and why w-would I do that?!" Kagome stammered, shocked by Miroku's forwardness, to no end.

"If, for some reason, I am not able to destroy Naraku, I would like my son to carry on the family mission for me." Miroku replied; jumping back when Inu-Yasha swiftly got in-between them, and glared angrily at him.

"Hands off! Your only 'family mission' is lechery!" Inu-Yasha retorted; his defensiveness getting a shocked look from Kagome, as well.

"The same could be said of our father, also….." Sesshomaru mumbled, with yet another sigh, yet allowed some amusement at their expense to appear, regardless.

"I never want to grow up." Shippou muttered, as he climbed up onto Sesshomaru's shoulder and watched as the trio in front of them continued to squabble between themselves.

"And believe it or not, pup, at one time, I had shared your sentiment, wholeheartedly." Sesshomaru sighed, as he remembered a time in the distant past, when a similar scene had played out before him…..and the exasperation he had felt then, in response to it.

_**Author's Note!**_

_**Whew! I thought I was never going to get this chapter done! (And it's my longest submitted chapter in a long time, too!) Either way, I hope it lived up to expectations! Please review and let me know how I did, okay?**_

_**Gemini14**_


	12. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

The sky was bathed in a deep red hue, as the sun made its' descent. Long, dark shadows stretched across the land; heralding the coming night, and the horrors that sometimes came with it. Such was the case for a group of bandits, as they hurried through the pristine landscape with their ill-gotten gains. As they were about to find out.

"A respectful haul, wouldn't you say?" one man asked, as they rode along, "Just look at all those bales of rice!"

"Indeed! Who would have thought that such a small village would have such a large storehouse?" the leader of the bandits replied, merrily, as he glanced back at the wagons that held what they had stolen.

"Yet I would feel safer if we would hurry up and get out of this territory! They say that, when the sun sets, the youkai come out around here." Another man murmured, uneasily, as he glanced around at the seemingly innocent forest around them. This earned him a snort of derision from the bandit leader in response to his worries.

"What kind of outlaws are you, if you run away from little goblins like children?!" the leader asked, irritably, as he glanced back at the man that had spoken with some scorn in his eyes and voice.

"Chief! Look up ahead!" one of the burlier men said, as he pointed out something that was just ahead of them. By all appearances, the figure appeared to be a man in his late teens, early twenties, who wore fine clothes and armor. He was standing with his back to them, gazing at the sunset; apparently oblivious to the danger they now posed to him.

"That's no youkai! It's a human!" the bandit leader contemptuously snorted; grinning at the thought of plundering this pathetic fool of his possessions, as well.

"Hai, a young man with armor!" one of the underlings agreed, eagerly.

"Then kill him and take it!" the bandit leader commanded; getting an agreeing yell from his horde, and they all charged as one. What they didn't realize, was that when they started their charge towards him, the 'young man' then grinned wickedly; allowing his monstrous right arm to appear from under his sleeve, as he did so.

"Hope you have something to say to the king of the dead when you get to hell, ningen, because you won't survive this night!" the 'young man' growled, as he swiftly tore his way through the bandit gang; his claws making short work of them, as he went. When he stopped to admire his handiwork, he noticed when his arm went numb; his expression changing abruptly to displeasure and anger.

"Once again, you have made quick work of them! Very impressive, Guren-Kaina-sama!" a squawking voice stated, as its' owner appeared from amidst the tall grasses nearby.

"Save your praise, Nikushimi. This arm was worthless." The youkai, Guren-Kaina, growled irritably, as he removed the spent arm from his body, and tossed it on the ground. By all appearances, Guren-Kaina was as pure a youkai as they came; his regal stance, ivory hair, amber eyes, and the markings on his face, all pointed to him being an inu-youkai of very high standing…..but it was his clothes that stood out, and told a different tale. The somber shades of grey, and the lurid crimson stripes on his sash were very different from the almost-pure seeming clothes of another well-known inu-youkai.

"Go and find a more suitable youkai and take his arm, Nikushimi. Otherwise, I will have to kill you." Guren-Kaina snarled; sending the imp scrambling to do his bidding.

"_Damn you, Sesshomaru_….._If you hadn't ousted me and severed my arm, then I wouldn't have come down to this!_" Guren-Kaina inwardly snarled; remembering only too well what had happened a little over two hundred years prior………

"Though, even if I am provided with another arm, it too will be rendered useless after a time….." Guren-Kaina sighed, even as his eyes narrowed at the thought. At one time, he had been the favored son of the infamous Taiyoukai of the Western Province, and the one who had been slated to inherit the Tetsusaiga…..at least, until something happened that caused him to not only be banished from his homeland, but also stripped of his birthright.

"A vexing problem, if I must say so myself." A smooth voice said, in agreement; prompting Guren-Kaina into turning around, and finding what appeared to be a man sitting in the shadows nearby.

"Who might you be? And why are you wearing such a ridiculous garment?" Guren-Kaina asked, curiously, once he had seen what the owner of the voice looked like. At these comments, the stranger only snickered.

"All in good time, Guren-Kaina-sama…..but I am someone who, like you, despises Inu-Yasha and his brother, Sesshomaru. If you would forgive me for eavesdropping, I had overheard your conversation just now, and just wished to help." The stranger in the baboon pelt said, quietly.

"Help me? How so?" Guren-Kaina questioned, intrigued, if nothing else, by this sudden offer of assistance; even moreso, when the man before him held up what appeared to be a human arm.

"Might I suggest that you use this arm?" the stranger asked, in turn.

"And how would a human arm aid me? Have you lost all of your common sense? Clearly, it wouldn't last long enough; therefore, it would be of no use to me." Guren-Kaina growled, as he then started to turn away from the creature before him.

"Wait a moment more, Guren-Kaina-sama, and I will tell you how this will aid you. It is true that this arm had belonged to a mortal, but, imbedded deep within it, is a shard of the sacred Shikon no Tama." The stranger said, his words making the youkai before him pause, and look back.

"The Shikon no Tama? What does that have to do with me?" Guren-Kaina questioned; interested, now, by what the stranger was saying. The stranger then allowed himself a slight grin, since he now had the inu-youkai's full attention.

"If you should choose to employ this arm, the shard within it will enable you to wield the Tetsusaiga, Inu-Yasha's fabled sword." The stranger stated; his words getting what could only be a look of barely-contained shock from the youkai before him.

"How do you know about the sword? And that wretched hanyou brother of mine? How did you find out about all of this?" Guren-Kaina again asked, this time with some suspicion in his eyes. The stranger only chuckled.

"I have my methods." The stranger answered, then added, "I am also certain you know that the sword only works for the benefit of man. At present, a youkai such as yourself and your elder brother, are unable to even touch the Tetsusaiga."

"True enough…..Though you have mentioned something about despising both of my brothers…..Do you propose to use me to exact your revenge?" Guren-Kaina said, and got a nod from the stranger in response.

"Hai." The stranger replied, easily.

"How dare you try to exploit my master!!" Nikushimi yowled, as he suddenly emerged from the undergrowth; swinging his scythe as he went.

"Nikushimi, didn't I tell you it was rude to eavesdrop?" Guren-Kaina growled; getting only a whimper from the imp as a response, before looking to the stranger again, "But I do believe I will take you up on your offer, and accept the arm from you."

"Guren-Kaina-sama, please reconsider!" Nikushimi yelped, watching in aghast silence as his master took the arm from the stranger.

"Oh, and one more thing…." The stranger added, almost as an afterthought, as he reached under the baboon pelt he wore to cover his features, and pulled out what appeared to be an insect hive, "Take this along with you. I'll imagine it will come in useful, with certainty."

"Then you and I have a deal…..Though I should know the name I make this pact with." Guren-Kaina said, as the eagerness for revenge appeared in his golden eyes. At this, the stranger almost appeared abashed by this lapse in etiquette, bowed, and smiled graciously.

"My profound apologies! You may call me Naraku." The stranger said, introducing himself to the disgraced youkai, with a disarming smile.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

"Ah! This is so much better! We've got a hot meal now, and we're going to get a nice bath, and then climb under the crisp, clean sheets and have a good rest for a change!" Kagome sighed, contentedly, as she and Shippou ate their dinner.

"Well, excuse the hell outta me for makin' you sleep out in the wilds all the time!" Inu-Yasha grumbled, irritably, from his place by the door. As luck would have it, the unusual group had found themselves under the roof of one of the finest inns in the area….and it had all been Miroku's idea. Something that irked Inu-Yasha to no end, since he still didn't trust the houshi.

"Arguing again, I see." Sesshomaru muttered, as he came in through the door behind Kagome and Shippou; toweling off his long white hair as he entered.

"Feeling any better, Sesshomaru-sama?" Shippou asked, when he'd noticed that the Taiyoukai was wearing a slightly different outfit than he usually wore, and that he was in the process of putting his armor back on.

"Somewhat…..Though it had taken long enough for me to get the scent of blood and ink off." Sesshomaru said, as he wearily sat down beside Kagome. At this, Kagome could only wince at the memory; the whole fiasco with the hell painter had nearly taken both brothers out, at one point.

"_And it had to have been even worse for Sesshomaru, since he's a full-blooded youkai_……_His nose is even more sensitive than Inu-Yasha's_." Kagome mused; smiling slightly when the Taiyoukai picked up a pair of chopsticks, and almost mischievously snatched something from Shippou's bowl; getting a feigned angered response from the young kitsune as a result.

"Now, now, you two. Don't start a food fight here. I really don't think the innkeeper would appreciate having to clean food from the ceiling." Kagome chided, finding herself amazed, once again, by the Taiyoukai's change of attitude towards them.

"_It doesn't seem quite real, and yet, here he is; eating dinner with us, and actually getting along with Inu-Yasha_….._almost as though it were the most natural thing in the world to him! Why?_" Kagome again wondered.

"Come now, miko. I am not that sort of youkai." Sesshomaru muttered, dryly….even though his eyes still held a sort of mischievous glint in them. This earned him a soft snort from Inu-Yasha; he didn't believe it in the slightest. Yet the hanyou's mood wasn't about to get any better, since said houshi was just returning to the room, after having warded the inn against 'dark clouds'.

"Hey, how'd the exorcism go?" Kagome asked, when she'd noticed Miroku having a seat in front of them. At this, the young houshi smiled.

"Uneventful, thankfully enough. Now I am ready for some relaxation." Miroku replied; getting what could only be a dubious look from Sesshomaru for that comment, and chuckling inwardly at it.

"The one thing I'm still puzzled about, is your so-called 'powers' Miroku." Inu-Yasha said, surprisingly calmly, considering.

"How so?" Miroku questioned, in turn.

"I think what Inu-Yasha is trying to say, is that whenever we are looking for a place to rest, you suddenly seem to sense darkness over the finest inns or taverns in the area. Would you mind explaining even that much, since either Jaken or I should have sensed the same, before now?" Sesshomaru asked, as he gave the houshi a scrutinizing look from where he now sat. Their only response was a slight, almost embarrassed laugh from Miroku, and a grin.

"Well, they say that 'a falsehood is sometimes the most expedient path'." Miroku chuckled; getting a number of different reactions from his companions for that comment.

"You mean there never was a black cloud?!" Shippou yelped; shocked that the houshi had lied about such a thing.

"It seems that way, pup." Sesshomaru muttered, his expression deadpanning even further than before.

"I was beginning to suspect as much….." Kagome sighed, before calmly taking a sip from her cup of hot tea.

"Sheesh! You're even shiftier than I'd thought!" Inu-Yasha said; finishing the thought with that, as he stood and glared at the houshi for his dishonesty. Miroku never even faltered for a moment; without even blinking, he simply held up a bowl full of dumplings and grinned again at the aggravated hanyou.

"Partake in my share of the spoils, and maybe your opinion of me will change." Miroku suggested, even as Jaken mumbled something about Miroku being a 'cheapskate' under his breath, and Shippou jumped up and excitedly carried the bowl away from Miroku's hand, and back towards his seat.

"You're as bad as he is, Shippou!" Inu-Yasha nearly shouted; feeling even more chagrin, when Sesshomaru deftly grabbed one of the dumplings and stuck it in his mouth as Shippou galloped past.

"Dammit, Sesshomaru, you're not helpin' matters any!" Inu-Yasha added, exasperatedly; getting only an arched eyebrow from the Taiyoukai, in answer to that. And yet, as with all good things, the light moment abruptly came to an end. No sooner did Sesshomaru recline back against the wall again, did an ominous youki come to his senses….and, at the same time, Kagome stiffened as well.

"What is that?" Kagome asked, uneasily, as the ground began to tremble beneath them; prompting all of them to stand up.

"I don't like the sound of this!" Shippou cried, fearfully, as he leaped into Kagome's arms.

"Whatever it is, it's big!" Inu-Yasha murmured, as he grasped the Tetsusaiga tightly in his left hand; prepared to draw it at a moment's notice.

"It sounds like an orge….." Sesshomaru agreed, then silently added, "_But there's something about the scent_….._It isn't just an orge heading this way_….._There's something else with it_….."

"If that's the case, then let's run." Miroku said, getting an aghast look from Inu-Yasha (as well as an unreadable one from Sesshomaru) in response.

"No way! You can't just eat and run!" Inu-Yasha argued, even though he was beginning to notice how unnerved Sesshomaru was beginning to look….

"Wait! I'm sensing a Jewel Shard nearby…..It's coming this way very quickly!" Kagome added, yet jumped when Sesshomaru again spoke up…..yet this time his words had a hint of some other emotion mixed into it, as well.

"Miko, it might be best to leave this shard with whatever is carrying it….." Sesshomaru said, tensely.

"Why? Don't tell me you're afraid, Sesshomaru!" Inu-Yasha taunted; seeming surprised when he got nothing more from the Taiyoukai except a haunted look, for those words.

"I think you're about to find that sometimes, in situations like this, retreat may well have been the better option….." Sesshomaru murmured, the grave look in his amber eyes almost sending a chill down Inu-Yasha's spine.

"_He's afraid_….._I never thought I'd say that about Sesshomaru_…._But he's actually afraid._" Inu-Yasha thought, as they rushed outside and looked up at the clear night sky. Within moments, a dark silhouette appeared in front of the moon….and on its' shoulder, sat what appeared to be an ivory-haired man.

"Who the hell is that?!" Inu-Yasha heard himself ask, as he stared at the newcomer with shock in his own golden eyes.

"Guren-Kaina….." Sesshomaru mumbled; his face actually paling as he said that name, and remembering with sickening clarity all that had happened two centuries before.

"It's good to know that you remember me, Aniue, because I certainly haven't forgotten you…..Especially since it was your vote that had cast me out of the Western Province!" the other youkai said, with an evil grin, even as his eyes narrowed with unmasked hatred.

_**Author's Note!**_

_**And finally, I am able to introduce Guren-Kaina! Hopefully I'll be able to manage a few surprises in the next chapter, so stay tuned, minna!**_

_**Gemini14**_


	13. Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

For a few moments, a sepulchral silence reigned, and it only gave way when Guren-Kaina deftly jumped from the ogre's shoulder, and started his attack on them. With a move Inu-Yasha could tell Sesshomaru had taught him, the other inu-youkai allowed his youki to flow into his left hand, and then slashed in their direction; leaving a poison-filled crater in his wake.

"What the hell do ya want, anyway?!" Inu-Yasha asked, when the other inu-youkai had landed, and had focused his attention again on him.

"I have come for two things, little brother…..Revenge, and my inheritance. Mind you, Inu-Yasha, I hold nothing against you, so I will ask just once if you will surrender the Tetsusaiga to me, in exchange for your life." Guren-Kaina growled, as he eyed the sword at Inu-Yasha's waist.

"Not a chance! Sesshomaru couldn't hold on to it, what makes you think you can?!" Inu-Yasha retorted, gripping the hilt of said sword even tighter than before.

"Ah, so Sesshomaru had tried for it, as well? And you allow him to travel with you? Oh how things have changed, since my time in the Western Province!" Guren-Kaina sneered, as he watched both of his brothers get ready for the next strike against them.

"What you had done, Guren-Kaina, was treason against our father. My crimes, as yet, hold no weight, compared to yours'." Sesshomaru replied; finally finding his ability to speak again, and glaring at the younger youkai while he was at it.

"Excuses, excuses. But what can I expect, from the one who had gotten me banished in the first place!" Guren-Kaina snarled, then added, as he charged forward, "Draw the sword, Inu-Yasha! We will see just how inadequate you are to inherit our father's legacy!" Pushing his remaining uncertainties to the back of his mind for the time being, Sesshomaru then started his own counter-attack; an attempt to draw Guren-Kaina's attention solely onto himself, so the rest of the group could escape.

"Futile effort, Aniue!" Guren-Kaina said, with a leering grin, as he avoided Sesshomaru's swipe, while dodging Inu-Yasha's attack with the Tetsusaiga at the same time. The Taiyoukai allowed himself a slight grimace, when the younger youkai's block rattled the bone in his left arm; an expression Inu-Yasha didn't miss, since he landed in front of Sesshomaru, to try and cover for him until he got control over the pain again.

"Your arm bothering you again, Sesshomaru?" Inu-Yasha asked, concernedly.

"Don't worry about me, hanyou. Pay closer attention to what Guren-Kaina is doing." Was Sesshomaru's hissed response, from between gritted teeth, as he glared at the other inu-youkai from where he now kneeled.

"Right……" Inu-Yasha muttered, not liking the fact that the Taiyoukai was still having so much trouble with that arm, and how it could prove deadly, this time.

"So, I see you haven't unleashed the Tetsusaiga's full power yet. Such a pity!" Guren-Kaina taunted.

"Oh yeah? We'll just have to see about that!" Inu-Yasha retorted, before leaping away from Sesshomaru, and into the air to try and cleave Guren-Kaina's head into two.

"Fool!" Guren-Kaina howled, as he grabbed Inu-Yasha's wrist firmly in his left hand, and allowed the poison in his claws to flow into it, "Such pitiful swordsmanship! And here I had thought Aniue would have taught you something, by now!"

"You've gone far enough, Guren-Kaina." Sesshomaru growled, as he got to his feet again, charged, and forced the disgraced youkai to let go of Inu-Yasha's wrist; feeling it when Guren-Kaina added a counter-swipe and opened a deep wound in his right arm in retaliation.

"Sesshomaru! Inu-Yasha!" Kagome yelped, from her vantage point behind some boulders; becoming alarmed, when she saw blood beginning to stain the Taiyoukai's right sleeve, yet feeling some relief, when Inu-Yasha returned to his brother's defense with a yell.

"I'll cut you in half!!" Inu-Yasha furiously shouted; forcing Guren-Kaina to back off from their elder brother…..yet feeling some shock, when the disgraced inu-youkai merely smirked, shrugged, and then again vaulted high into the air. With an effortless move, Guren-Kaina then used his venom-whip again, this time knocking the Tetsusaiga from Inu-Yasha's hands!

"Shit!" Inu-Yasha managed to yell, as the sword was sent flying, and it landed about a hundred yards away, blade-first in the ground, where it promptly returned to it's shabby guise.

"That about sums this situation up." Sesshomaru dryly added, as they both watched Guren-Kaina approach the sword…..and felt his mouth dry, when he picked it up.

"Impossible!!" Inu-Yasha shouted, as alarm and disbelief appeared on his face.

"He shouldn't be able to even touch the sword!" Kagome added.

"He's just proven us wrong….." Sesshomaru growled, as he watched the Tetsusaiga transform again, but this time in Guren-Kaina's hand; bracing himself for what was coming next. With a mighty slash, Guren-Kaina unleashed what appeared to be blades of light from the sword; sending them towards Inu-Yasha and Sesshomaru and forcing them to move.

"But he's a full youkai! How is he able to take hold of the Tetsusaiga?!" Inu-Yasha asked, as he looked to Sesshomaru for an explanation.

"Your guess is as good as mine, at this point…..But it may have something to do with the Jewel Shard the miko had sensed earlier." Sesshomaru murmured; allowing his eyes to narrow, when Guren-Kaina again spoke to them.

"I had been and always will be the Tetsusaiga's rightful owner. Stand back and allow me to demonstrate this fact! Nikushimi!" Guren-Kaina called, and as said imp appeared on the shoulder of the ogre.

"I shall now summon all of the youkai from this mountain! Go forth!" Nikushimi shouted, and as the ogre then slashed the mountainside open; forcing the youkai within it to take flight.

"And now, the finishing touch." Guren-Kaina sneered; savoring the few moments before he lifted the mighty fang for the final blow, "Witness and learn, little brother, as I sunder one hundred youkai with a single stroke!" And seconds later, his words were proven; the blades of light again emerged from within the Tetsusaiga, destroying the youkai as they went.

"Unreal….." Kagome muttered, stunned by this feat, more than anything else.

"He slew the youkai, all right…..and also split the mountain in half!" Miroku added, also voicing his shock at this fact. Who would have guessed that Inu-Yasha's sword could have such a monstrous power?!

"Now do you see, my brothers? This sword, forged from the fang of our sire, reigns supreme above all others." Guren-Kaina said, as he gazed admiringly at the blade, then added, "The Tetsusaiga can't choose its' owner, but I am sure that, by now, even the hanyou can see that he can't even hope to master it."

"Damn him!" Inu-Yasha growled, yet was stopped from flying headlong back into the battle by Sesshomaru's restraining hand.

"Don't let him goad you. Wait for an opportune moment to strike." Sesshomaru advised, even though Inu-Yasha could hear the hard edge in his voice…..all the proof he needed to know that Sesshomaru wasn't as calm and collected as he would have liked for him to believe.

"_He's as pissed off as I am about this._" Inu-Yasha mused, yet silently agreed with the Taiyoukai on that. As it was, Guren-Kaina now had the upper hand….

"It is truly an ironic end for the both of you, to have your blood stain this sword!" Guren-Kaina said, almost cheerfully, as he held the blade out towards them, "But I wonder, which of you should I run through first? My defiant little brother? Or my traitorous elder brother? Decision, decisions….."

"Twisted bastard…..He's enjoying this….." Inu-Yasha growled.

"Now you can see for yourself why our father had handed the Tetsusaiga to you. Guren-Kaina exists only to kill…..It's how he's always been." Sesshomaru said; keeping his voice soft, so only Inu-Yasha could hear him.

"But how did he betray the West? You still haven't explained that to me!" Inu-Yasha replied, as he glanced at Sesshomaru from the corner of his eye.

"He betrayed our location to enemies, the night before a battle…..I can only guess that he had been intending to appear to become a great 'hero' during the battle the next day by routing them……but his plan backfired. The army of the Western Province was almost annihilated…..it took the full strength of the Tetsusaiga to drive the enemy force back. It was after the battle that we captured one of the enemy soldiers, and he told us of Guren-Kaina's deception." Sesshomaru said, grimly; remembering the horrors he had seen that day as clearly as though they had happened just the day before.

"A double-cross." Inu-Yasha said, and got a nod from the Taiyoukai in response.

"Our father had him stripped of his rank and birthright, after he let us decide what was to be done with him." Sesshomaru said, as he kept his attention on Guren-Kaina, and the stolen Tetsusaiga.

"And he's held on to that grudge against you since then….." Inu-Yasha mumbled; finally understanding why the elder youkai had been so unnerved just days before, "Then I'll never let 'im keep the Tetsusaiga! The bastard's dangerous enough, as it is!"

"Then I think we've heard enough, and can listen to this no longer! I must end this foolish sibling rivalry!" Miroku said, calmly, as he abruptly came to stand in front of both brothers; surprising Inu-Yasha in doing so, and getting an almost deadpan look from Sesshomaru as well.

"And you think you have the power to stop it, houshi?" Sesshomaru asked, looking down when Kagome started trying to tie off the bleeding in his right arm.

"I'll certainly give it my best, Sesshomaru-sama." Miroku answered, only getting a sigh, and what sounded suspiciously like a 'It's your funeral' comment from the Taiyoukai for it.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

"_That houshi_….." Guren-Kaina thought, as he stared at the young man that now stood in front of his brothers.

"_Naraku had said something about a certain houshi_…._Could this be the same young man he'd spoken of?_" Nikushimi silently added, as both he and his master remembered what Naraku had told them.

"_Journeying with Inu-Yasha and Sesshomaru is a young houshi. He may well prove to be even more troublesome than the brothers themselves_….." Naraku had said, those words only causing some confusion in the imp, before he spoke up again.

"Guren-Kaina-sama! Please allow me to finish the houshi off! There's no sense in you wasting your time on such a puny opponent!" Nikushimi said, with a grin.

"By all means. I shall observe." Guren-Kaina replied, almost politely; stepping aside and allowing the imp to have the field.

"Crush them all!" Nikushimi shouted, to the ogre, and as the monster obeyed; taking a swipe at those on the ground.

"Move back!" Miroku warned, before removing the warding beads from around his right hand, and unleashing the full power from it, "Kazaana!!" With shock appearing on his face, Guren-Kaina drove the sword into the ground before him, to prevent himself from being sucked in; watching in disbelief, as the ogre started getting drawn into the houshi's hand!

"Yeah! Miroku, you're the best!" Kagome cheered, from the sidelines.

"You show 'im, Miroku!" Shippou added, enthusiastically, as he held Miroku's staff for the houshi. Then Kagome seemed to realize that she had forgotten to praise the brothers for their efforts, and turned to look at them.

"Oh yeah! You guys were good too!" Kagome said, with a grin; almost laughing at the twin set of deadpan looks she got from them in response to that.

"Gee, thanks….I can tell that that was from the heart!" Inu-Yasha muttered, sarcastically.

"Please, curb your enthusiasm, miko." Sesshomaru mumbled; keeping half an ear on the battle, as he also gave Kagome a dry look.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

In the meantime, Guren-Kaina was starting to get his wits about him again; remembering another thing Naraku had told both him and Nikushimi earlier…..

"_By all means, try this_…." Naraku had said, after he had handed Guren-Kaina the insect hive, "_This is the hive of the Saimyosho, the insects of hell. It should prove useful in plugging the houshi's hand, should you encounter it._"

"_We'll see_….." Guren-Kaina mused, as he then tossed the hive up into the air, watched it burst open, and then as the wasp-like creatures from within it started flying towards the houshi.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Sesshomaru could almost see what was coming, when he saw the first of the insects fly into Miroku's cursed hand; growling out a foul-sounding epithet under his breath, before abruptly leaving the rest of the group.

"Sesshomaru! What the hell're you doin'?!" Inu-Yasha yelped, when he'd seen the Taiyoukai do this.

"Don't ask questions, Inu-Yasha! Get the houshi out of here!" Sesshomaru commanded, as he did what he could to cover for his brother, and their allies. And it was just moments afterwards, that Miroku suddenly fell to his knees with a wince; gripping his right hand painfully, while doing so.

"Those insects appear to have poisoned him with their venom!" Jaken said, finally breaking his long silence, in the face of the events taking place before him; watching numbly, as Sesshomaru ran interference for them, determined to keep Guren-Kaina's attention off of them for as long as possible.

"Then I'll go look for an antidote!" Kagome shouted, before running back towards the inn.

"Making yourself the distraction again, Aniue? How noble of you! But….." Guren-Kaina sneered, before rushing towards Sesshomaru, watching as the Taiyoukai leaped to avoid him….. and then thrusting the Tetsusaiga into and through Sesshomaru's midsection; shattering the armor and impaling him on the blade! All who were in the area, shuddered when they heard the agonized howl that came from Sesshomaru shortly afterwards…..and Inu-Yasha could only watch in horror as he fell.

"How does it feel, Aniue? To be run asunder by Father's Fang?" Guren-Kaina asked, with a bloodthirsty grin, as he ripped the Tetsusaiga from the Taiyoukai, and watched as Sesshomaru's body finally hit the hard-packed earth; the blood spilling freely from the stomach and back as it went.

"Sesshomaru!!" Inu-Yasha shouted, as he swiftly moved Miroku behind the ogre's carcass, and then raced out again to get to his fallen brother's side.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Pain couldn't describe the feeling that was coursing through him, as he lay where he had fallen.

"_Chi_….._chiue_….." Sesshomaru's mind whispered, in agony.

"_Hang on! Please hang on! Call on the Tenseiga for strength!_" Inu-Taisho's voice anxiously replied; urging Sesshomaru to hold on to life.

"_Tenseiga_……?" Sesshomaru asked, "_How will it's power_….._aid me now?_"

"_Trust it; that is all I ask. Your mother's power is imbued within it_…._and hers' was a healing power._" Inu-Taisho said, even though worry and fear for his eldest son could be heard in his tone.

"_I'll try_……_Chichiue_….." Sesshomaru told the voice of his father, as he slowly returned to consciousness again.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

A strangled cry of pain from the Taiyoukai was what made Inu-Yasha freeze in his efforts to move him, and look down. Even though the danger was still very much there, Inu-Yasha couldn't help but feel relief, when he saw Sesshomaru's eyes slowly open, look up at him, and then struggle to focus on his face,

"Hanyou…..do you have a death wish?" Sesshomaru choked; grimacing as Inu-Yasha hoisted him onto his shoulders.

"Yeah, guess I do." Inu-Yasha retorted, "I'm not gonna let that bastard kill you like this!"

"For what…..do I deserve…..this?" Sesshomaru managed, from between gritted teeth, as Inu-Yasha started running; dodging more attacks from Guren-Kaina, as they ran.

"I owe you big time for keeping Kagome safe all the times that you have…..and for my own stupidity for getting you hurt like this." Inu-Yasha murmured; his words surprising Sesshomaru to no end.

"Baka…..this wasn't….your fault….." Sesshomaru whispered, as they finally ended up behind the ogre's remains; sensing that his words weren't helping with the feelings of guilt Inu-Yasha was now feeling.

"This is the end for all of you! Die!" Guren-Kaina shouted, as he sent what he knew should have been a killing blow at both of his brothers, the houshi, the young kitsune, and the imp……Yet allowing a snarl to emerge from his throat, when he noticed a bluish light appearing from the center of the blast.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

They had all been stunned when Sesshomaru had abruptly hoisted himself painfully to his feet, unsheathed the Tenseiga, and then thrust it point-first into the ground before him; creating a powerful barrier to block the Tetsusaiga's attack while doing so.

"Amazing….." Shippou muttered.

"Took the words right outta my mouth….." Inu-Yasha agreed, then looked at Sesshomaru again, "How'd you know your sword would do that?"

"It was something……even I had almost forgotten…..until the last moment…." Sesshomaru replied, from between harsh gasps; sinking to one knee as he said that, and holding his wounded stomach with one arm in a vain effort to stanch the bleeding.

"_He weakened himself to protect us_….." Inu-Yasha silently murmured, then growled, "Dammit, Sesshomaru, stop makin' me look bad." At this, he only got a pained snicker in response.

"_And yet, he will never know that our father had done basically the same thing, years ago, on the night of his birth._" Sesshomaru mused; now knowing almost exactly what had been going through the former Taiyoukai's mind that long-ago night….and inwardly marveling at how little time it had taken for things to change between himself and his brother so completely.

"Your stupidity certainly knows no bounds! You should run and hide while you still have the chance, my brothers!" Guren-Kaina called, as he hid whatever irritation he had about their continued survival behind his own cool veneer.

"Up yours'." Sesshomaru and Inu-Yasha both growled (yet exchanged surprised glances with one another after having said that).

"My , my. Such language! Hardly what one would expect from Western Lands nobility!" Guren-Kaina sneered, as he began to approach them, "Yet, then again, maybe you both should stand and face your deaths. At least then you could both go with dignity…..as our great father had."

"_If you only knew, you sorry bastard_….." Inu-Yasha silently snarled, then snapped, "Feh. The guy starts waving a big new sword around, and then he's lookin' for a soapbox to stand on and preach about it to th' world!"

"Indeed. And let me give you one last piece of advice….If you are going to kill someone, be sure to do it right the first time…..Otherwise, they will make a nasty habit of returning and making you regret it!" Sesshomaru growled, as he somehow pulled himself to his full height, and gave Guren-Kaina an icy glare; steeling himself for his next move, and then charging right back into the fray alongside Inu-Yasha.

"Like this?" Guren-Kaina asked, as he leaped back and up; swinging the Tetsusaiga back for another slash at his half-brother's head, yet only found his blow blocked by not only the Tenseiga, but also Tetsusaiga's sheath, as well!

"_Both the sword and the sheath are holding the Tetsusaiga back! How?!_" Guren-Kaina wondered, as his bewilderment appeared in his amber eyes.

"Surprised, Guren-Kaina? Is it that much of a shock to you, that one fang would hold off the other?" Sesshomaru questioned, as he and Inu-Yasha both pushed the disgraced youkai back.

"The Tenseiga is a sword of healing…..How could it be used in a battle like this?!" Guren-Kaina in turn asked, as an expression that resembled doubt appeared on his face.

"When you have something to protect…..even a sword of healing can be used to guard it…." Sesshomaru growled…..even as his father's last words to him, that night, (as well as the meaning behind them) finally became crystal clear.

"_And it took me long enough to learn from it._" Sesshomaru silently admitted; feeling it when the presence at the back of his mind filled with pride at that thought.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

"Sesshomaru-sama! Hang in there!" Jaken shouted, as he, the young kitsune, and the houshi watched from their hiding places behind the brothers. They could all see just how much blood Sesshomaru was losing, as he continued fighting against Guren-Kaina.

"_He can't keep that up for much longer_….._Those wounds could prove deadly to him, if he continues fighting like this_….." Miroku thought; feeling some worry for the Taiyoukai emerge from within him, even though he was also in just as dire a condition. Yet they all turned to look, when something moved nearby….and seemed surprised when Nikushimi also dug himself out of the ogre's remains.

"Guren-Kaina-sama had almost killed me, that time, with his own blow! His blatant disregard for enemy and ally when he sets his mind on killing someone is even more terrifying than his power! My future may not be in good hands….." Nikushimi muttered; uttering a squawk when Miroku abruptly grabbed him, and turned him around to face them.

"If you would explain something to the three of us, please do so now." Miroku growled, as he watched the other imp nervously look up at him.

"Uh…..What do you want explained?" Nikushimi asked, meekly.

"How is it that we have never met, and yet you knew what it would take to plug my kazaana?" Miroku questioned, irritably.

"Um…..It was in the cards?" Nikushimi replied, as he felt around behind him for anything that could be used as a weapon, froze when his hands came upon the Staff of Heads, sneered, and then whipped it up in front of him and sent flames flying at the trio.

"Curse it all! He's got my staff!!" Jaken shouted, angrily, as Nikushimi started to laugh at their misfortune.

"A weak houshi, a fox child, and a disgraced imp from my own former clan! I'll be glad to take you all on at once!" Nikushimi laughed, mockingly, as he forced them into a running battle of their own.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

"You're weakening, Aniue. I can tell. Your blood has the scent of death in it." Guren-Kaina sneered, as he pushed his brothers back. He could clearly hear the strained gasps of Sesshomaru as he struggled to maintain his grip on the Tenseiga; his grin widening, when he saw blood also leaking from the corners of the Taiyoukai's mouth, as well.

"_Shit! Sesshomaru's getting worse!_" Inu-Yasha silently yelped, when he'd also seen this, and how much paler his elder brother now looked; unsure now just how much more he would be able to take, before his body bled dry.

"Then I'll just have to beat your head in with the Tetsusaiga's sheath, before that happens!" Inu-Yasha snarled; startling Sesshomaru when he abruptly freed one hand from his grip on the sheath, and shoved Sesshomaru out of harm's way. He heard it when Sesshomaru hit the ground back-first, gasped in pain from the impact, skidded a short distance, and then lay where he'd fallen. And yet….even from the corner of his eye, Inu-Yasha could see that his brother was still gripping the Tenseiga tightly with both hands; feeling some relief just by seeing that.

"_As long as he holds onto the Tenseiga_….._then maybe he's got some chance of surviving this!_" Inu-Yasha mused, before returning his attention to Guren-Kaina again.

"Very noble act on your part, little brother….but in vain. I won't spare either one of you from my sword's true power." Guren-Kaina growled, menacingly, as he again swiped at the wary hanyou; trying to drive him back towards the unconscious Sesshomaru, yet managing some surprise when Inu-Yasha leaped in another direction. Just as this happened, a small miracle occurred; almost from out of nowhere, an arrow came singing in, striking the Tetsusaiga and reversing its' transformation!

"_It's transformed back!_" was the thought of not only Inu-Yasha, but also all of those around him, as well…..including even a somewhat dazed Sesshomaru.

"_The miko_….._She has returned to the battlefield?_" Sesshomaru wondered, as he levered himself onto one arm, and looking in the direction the arrow had come from; grimacing at the intense pain that came along with this move, as he did so.

"Drop it, buster, or my next arrow's going in your heart!" Kagome warned, as she stood bravely before Guren-Kaina.

"M-miko…..run….!" Sesshomaru managed, from between gritted teeth, as she slowly approached him; her eyes widening slightly in horror, when she saw the extent of his injuries, yet not allowing her aim to falter in the slightest.

"Not a chance. I'm not leaving either of you behind, Sesshomaru-san." Kagome replied, stubbornly, then looked up at Inu-Yasha again, "Come on, Inu-Yasha! Get out of there! Move it!"

"S-stubborn…..girl….." Sesshomaru gasped, yet felt some relief steal into him, regardless. Maybe, with her strength, they stood at least some chance…..but would her power hold long enough for Inu-Yasha to get the Tetsusaiga back?


	14. Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

"Drop the sword, Guren-Kaina!" Kagome shouted, boldly, as she continued to stand at bay before him, with an arrow drawn and aimed at his heart.

"M-miko….the arm….holding Tetsusaiga……" Sesshomaru managed, from between gritted teeth, as he slowly forced himself back onto his feet again; his face paling dramatically from the effort, moments later.

"Hai!" Kagome said, understanding what the Taiyoukai was trying to tell her, and knowing what needed to be done next, since she had already sensed and pinpointed where the shard was, "Guren-Kaina, say goodbye to your Shard!!" With that said she loosed her arrow; yelping when the disgraced youkai dodged the shot and charged towards her, and when Sesshomaru abruptly grabbed her and started running as well!

"Oh no, you don't!" Inu-Yasha shouted, as he slashed at Guren-Kaina's back with his claws; attempting to drive him away from their elder brother and Kagome, "Leave them alone!"

"Most amusing, my brothers! You both seem so anxious for the woman's safety! Could it be that you have more of our sire's disgraceful desire to protect humans in you than you'd thought?" Guren-Kaina sneered, as he watched Sesshomaru come to a stop behind Inu-Yasha, released Kagome and then collapsed again to his knees; the strain of the running battle taking its' toll.

"Sesshomaru-san! Hang in there!" Kagome said, as genuine alarm appeared on her face, at how bad off Sesshomaru truly was; every breath, in fact, every move he made, almost seemed to be torture to the badly injured youkai, and the wounds in his stomach and back were bleeding heavily.

"_He can't keep this up for much longer_….." Inu-Yasha thought, grimly, as he listened to the harsh gasps coming from the Taiyoukai, and came to his decision, "Kagome, think you can move Sesshomaru?"

"I…..I'm not sure…..I think so." Kagome replied, then added, "But what about that Jewel Shard? It's in Guren-Kaina's right arm! I'm sure I can hit it from here!"

"F-forget…..about the shard…..miko….Guren-Kaina….never was….the kind of opponent….who was easy to strike down…..And never mind…..my injuries….There's still the houshi.....to consider….." Sesshomaru almost whispered; the concern for her safety appearing in his voice and eyes as he spoke.

"Sesshomaru's right about that, Kagome. Besides, the remedies from your era seem powerful….so maybe you'll be able to save Miroku…." Inu-Yasha said, then silently added, "_And Sesshomaru too._"

"Right….I'm on it!" Kagome agreed, as she slowly shouldered Sesshomaru's weight, and helped him stand up again; shuddering when she heard him bite back a groan in response to moving again, yet finding herself gripping his hand to reassure him, and help him brace himself from the pain.

"And Kagome…." Inu-Yasha said, as they started to move off.

"Yeah?" Kagome replied, questioningly.

"Thanks for your help. With your arrow, you reversed the Tetsusaiga's transformation. Now I can defeat him." Inu-Yasha murmured, as a grim smile appeared on his young face….an expression that almost chilled Sesshomaru's blood, since he could remember seeing that same smile on his father's face, just a short while before the night of Inu-Yasha's birth!

"_You'd better not even consider dying here, hanyou_…._and especially not by Guren-Kaina's hand!_" Sesshomaru thought, even though now, he could do nothing to help.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Guren-Kaina could only feel a sort of disbelief and irritation, as he looked down at the sword in his hand. Thanks to the power in Kagome's arrow, the transformation had been reversed, and it was now in its' shabby guise, once again.

"……_And the transformation had been undone by the arrow of a mortal girl_….._I suppose the Tetsusaiga didn't take to me, after all_….." Guren-Kaina thought, then snarled at the idea of the sword having a will of its' own.

"_Count on Chichiue to think of something like __that__! Curse him!_" Guren-Kaina silently raged, as he watched with hate-filled eyes as Kagome helped Sesshomaru get behind some boulders and out of the line of fire.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

"Guren-Kaina-sama appears to be wounded!" Nikushimi said, when he'd noticed that the fighting had stopped, and that the sword his master had been wielding so dangerously just moments before was no longer in its' dangerous state. Yet he uttered a yelp of pain, when a fist abruptly smacked him upside the head; sending him flying face-first into the dirt. He was quick to realize what kind of trouble he was in, when he saw not only Miroku glaring down at him with a murderous look in his eyes, but also Jaken as well!

"M-methinks your earlier expressions were more pleasing to the eyes and less menacing to the body!" Nikushimi stammered, as some fear emerged from within him as Miroku grabbed the front of his gi, and brought him up closer to his face.

"You think so? Then would you mind telling me where you thought you were going, until just a second ago?" Miroku asked, threateningly.

"Going to a…..funeral?" Nikushimi squeaked, fearfully.

"Do tell." Jaken growled, as he held the newly-reclaimed Staff of Heads tightly in his clawed grip, ready to use it at a moment's notice.

"Uh-oh…..I think things are about to get violent…." Shippou said, nervously, as he backed off and gave his two friends some room.

"Where did you find those poisonous insects?!" Miroku asked, again.

"Th-they were given to us by a youkai….We did not see his face, since he wore the pelt of a baboon to conceal his identity!" Nikushimi almost bawled, as he tried his best to escape from the angry houshi's grasp.

"Then what was that youkai's name?!" Miroku questioned; seeing that his interrogation was actually getting somewhere, at this point.

"H-he'd c-called himself Naraku!" Nikushimi replied, and when that name sent a jolt through Miroku as a result.

"It must be the same youkai you're pursuing, Miroku!" Shippou yelped, when he'd also heard the name, and realized what this meant.

"Then where is he?" Jaken asked, this time, as some vengeance of his own came into being within him; Guren-Kaina had badly injured Sesshomaru, with Naraku's help!

"I know not where he is, and even so, it will do no one any good! It is too late for both the houshi and Taiyoukai! The poison has taken hold in one, and the other will bleed to death before the night is out, if Guren-Kaina-sama doesn't finish him off first!" Nikushimi cackled, some of his courage returning, when he heard Miroku utter a pained growl under his breath, and when his breathing started to become even more labored.

"Are you in a lot of pain, Miroku?!" Shippou asked, worriedly (as even Jaken looked at the houshi in some concern, as well).

"Pain is nothing. Death is what concerns me…..as well as my wretched fate as a mere mortal." Miroku gasped, painfully, as sweat beaded on his pale brow, and rolled down his face. At this, he got a sneer from the imp in his grasp.

"Don't look to me for sympathy!" Nikushimi laughed…..yet quickly regretted even saying that much, when both Miroku and Jaken laid into him with fists and staffs. And before the imp knew it, he was lying on the ground in a painful heap.

"I really, really need to learn to keep my mouth shut!" Nikushimi mumbled, almost incoherently, as Miroku was helped to lie down about six feet away; having expended the last of his remaining energy beating the daylights out of the imp for his words.

"_The imp must be right_….._it's gotten even more difficult to breathe than before._" Miroku thought, as he struggled to pull in each breath, and winced when the effort felt like shards of glass were being driven into his chest each time. Yet he didn't dare complain, when he saw what kind of state Sesshomaru was now in, as Kagome arrived and helped the youkai lie down beside him.

"How….are you faring….houshi?" Sesshomaru managed, from between gritted teeth; surprising Miroku with his concern over his wellbeing.

"I've felt….better…." Miroku replied, honestly, as he gave the Taiyoukai a pained smile in addition to his comment.

"As have I." Sesshomaru murmured, in agreement, as he placed one hand carefully over the gash in his stomach; focusing at least some of his youki on his injuries in an effort to stop the blood loss on his own.

"Milord, what an awful state you are in!" Jaken muttered, voicing his horror upon seeing the ugly gashes in his master's abdomen, and listening as Kagome started rummaging through her bag for the medicine she needed to give Miroku.

"That is….stating the obvious….Jaken." Sesshomaru hissed, grimacing as he felt the youki begin to draw the edges of the wounds closed; looking up when Kagome's hand touched his shoulder, and giving her a questioning look as he did so.

"Think you can manage to take this?" Kagome asked, as she held up a soda can and some pills.

"I can, though the houshi might have difficulties." Sesshomaru replied, with some sarcasm in his tone.

"Yeah…..you might have to pass me the antidote by mouth." Miroku added; ignoring the jab the Taiyoukai had sent his way, and playing up the weakness part. And to his surprise, Kagome agreed.

"Good idea." Kagome said, as she quickly exchanged a glance with Shippou…..and Sesshomaru had to prevent himself from laughing, when he saw where this was going.

"Here it comes!" Shippou warned, as he prepared to give the houshi the medicine.

"Uh…..I think I can manage on my own, thanks." Miroku suddenly said, when he saw that it wasn't Kagome doing it…..giving Sesshomaru a glare, when a soft snicker finally escaped from between the Taiyoukai's lips.

"You knew that was going to happen, didn't you, Sesshomaru-sama?" Jaken asked, curiously, even though some amusement could be seen in his wide yellow eyes, as well. At this, Sesshomaru only nodded.

"_Something very similar had happened, long ago_….." Sesshomaru thought, wryly; turning to look, when he heard Kagome leave their sides, and take up a position nearby.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

"I think I've finally figured you out, Guren-Kaina. You're a full youkai, so you shouldn't be able to even touch the Tetsusaiga….So that right arm of yours' must've belonged to a human! You're using a shard of the Shikon no Tama to connect the arm to your body." Inu-Yasha said, then silently added, "_Just as Sesshomaru had suspected_…."

"Very interesting, little brother. What else do you have to add, if anything?" Guren-Kaina asked, disguising his annoyance with feigned curiosity, as he tightened his grip on the sword's hilt, and readied himself for his next strike.

"The only thing I can add to that is, if I can lop off that arm, then you won't have what it takes to hold onto it…..and I'll have myself another shard of the jewel!!" Inu-Yasha snarled, before launching himself at the disgraced youkai.

"I'd like to see you try, little brother!" Guren-Kaina sneered, as he began his counter-charge; dodging Inu-Yasha's swipe with ease, and then lashing out with his own claws seconds later, before forcing the hanyou to back off with his venom whip. Several times more, Inu-Yasha tried to attack, and just as many times, he was driven back again.

"Sankon Tessou!" Inu-Yasha howled, as he furiously dove into the attack once more.

"Fool. You stand no chance against me." Guren-Kaina snarled, before punching Inu-Yasha in the face with his left hand, and watching as the hanyou hit the ground hard, and stayed down. But, before he could deliver anything that even resembled a killing blow, another arrow came screaming in; this time striking the armor covering his right shoulder!

"You broke his armor, Kagome!" Shippou shouted, jubilantly, from beside the young miko.

"I was aiming for the shard in his arm….." Kagome muttered, with some irritation about her poor aim in her voice.

"Kagome!" Inu-Yasha gasped, as he struggled to get to his feet; turning to look at the schoolgirl and seeing that she was still stubbornly trying to get the Jewel Shard away from his disinherited brother.

"Inu-Yasha, make her stop. Even though you're a hanyou, the blood of a powerful youkai runs through your veins. Do not accept any human aid, even in death." Guren-Kaina intoned, angrily; growling low in his throat, when Sesshomaru slowly got to his feet again, and spoke up as well.

"You have no right to say such a thing, Guren-Kaina, since you have dishonored our father's blood more often than can be remembered! From the time you betrayed the West, till this night, you have shown just how much you don't deserve to be a part of our clan by your own actions!" Sesshomaru growled, the pain of his wounds providing him with some strength, as he forced himself to stand near the miko.

"SILENCE!!" Guren-Kaina roared, before again making the Tetsusaiga partially transform, and then sending another attack barreling towards both Kagome and Sesshomaru.

"Kagome! Sesshomaru!" Inu-Yasha yelped, before racing the attack in an effort to get to them first.

"_Curse it! No time to create a barrier_…..!" Sesshomaru thought, as he dove to shield the miko with his body…..and grimacing when Inu-Yasha rammed into them and knocked the both of them down.

"Daijobu?!" Shippou yelped, as he scurried over to them as fast as his feet could carry him.

"Do we look all right, Shippou?" Inu-Yasha snapped, as he slowly sat up from his prone position, and then took a closer look at his brother and the miko. Kagome had been knocked unconscious by the blow, despite his and Sesshomaru's efforts…..and the Taiyoukai was almost in no better shape.

"That yarou is gonna pay for this!" Inu-Yasha growled, as he made a move to stand, yet was prevented from doing so, when Miroku also stepped back onto the battlefield.

"The Tetsusaiga isn't even fully transformed, and yet it has so much power!" Miroku murmured, sounding stunned by the sheer amount of power the sword still had.

"It…..just goes to show…..how powerful mine and Inu-Yasha's sire…..had been." Sesshomaru managed, from between painful gasps; his voice sounding weaker than Inu-Yasha could ever remember it sounding.

"Then there's only one way I know of to counter Guren-Kaina and the sword…..I must attack with the kazaana!" Miroku said, even though both brothers were giving him looks that said he should do otherwise.

"You'd better rethink that, Miroku. Remember what'd happened the last time you'd opened it!" Inu-Yasha warned, as he picked up a stone, and then deftly threw it; Saimyosho flying up from their hiding places amidst the stones nearby, moments later, in response to it.

"They're still here….!" Miroku muttered, in shock; having thought that the youkai insects had flown on, after most of them had poisoned him.

"Don't do it, Miroku! You're doomed if you take in any more venom!" Shippou said, as some alarm appeared in his green eyes at this.

"Get Kagome outta here…..Go as far away as you can. Hurry!" Inu-Yasha commanded, yet could only give Sesshomaru a hopeless look from over his shoulder; he knew now that he had no hope of getting the stubborn Taiyoukai to leave the field of battle, no matter how badly injured he now was.

"_At this point_….._I can no longer fight_….._My wounds are too severe_….._All I can do is watch, now._" Sesshomaru grimly thought, as he listened to Miroku pick up the out-cold Kagome, and begin to retreat to a safer distance, and watched as Inu-Yasha returned his full attention to Guren-Kaina.

"You will never escape from me. With this sword, I will destroy you all with just a single strike!" Guren-Kaina intoned, as he held the half-transformed Tetsusaiga above his head, and readied another killing blow.

"As though I'd let you do that!!" Inu-Yasha snarled, as he raced towards the other youkai; braving the intense power of the blade, in an effort to keep his friends and brother safe…..

"Sesshomaru! Get up! Don't just sit there! RUN!!" Inu-Yasha shouted, over his shoulder, as he grabbed Guren-Kaina's right arm and held on; staving off the Tetsusaiga as well as he could, when he'd seen that the Taiyoukai hadn't moved any further.

"Very touching, little brother…..trying to buy time in order to save your friends and Sesshomaru…..Futile, but brave!" Guren-Kaina sneered, sarcastically, before driving his left hand through the hanyou's midsection; seeming to relish the sound of Inu-Yasha's near-scream of pain.

"_Damn it_….._This is_…._just what_…._I had wanted to prevent_….!" Sesshomaru inwardly raged, as he struggled to gather enough strength to rise again; remembering something from the distant past, as he did so…..A similar time of severe injury…..and a soft-eyed, six-year-old hanyou doing his best to stanch the bleeding in his wounds with his own small hands…..The memory of those frightened golden eyes, and the innocence they'd held then, being enough to force him back onto his feet.

"_How could I have forgotten? How is it that I could have been so blind?! The very reason I had started seeking all of that strength_….._how could I have forgotten something that important?!_" Sesshomaru wondered, as he steeled himself from the pain, and prepared himself for one last charge.

"_Grief has ways of doing such things, my son._" Inu-Taisho's voice gently said, reminding him of how many times he's seen the proof of that, over the years….and that youkai were just as vulnerable as humans, in that respect.

"Inu-Yasha!!" Kagome's voice abruptly shouted, startling Sesshomaru out of his reverie, and making him focus on what was happening in front of him. Guren-Kaina still had his left arm buried in Inu-Yasha's body.

"Any last words before your tragic demise?" Guren-Kaina asked, as he ripped the arm out of the hanyou's back. All he got in answer to that was a pained smirk.

"I'm…..surprised. Thought you would've noticed it, by now." Inu-Yasha gasped, painfully; succeeding in getting a genuinely confused look from Guren-Kaina for that.

"Noticed what? What do you mean, hanyou?" Guren-Kaina again asked, this time in confusion…..this emotion changing abruptly, when Inu-Yasha tore the hand of the human arm off, and reclaimed the Tetsusaiga!

"That the sword is finally back in my hands!" Inu-Yasha growled, as he threw aside the hand, and then stood at bay with said sword in his grasp.

"Guren-Kaina-sama! Without that human arm, you're unable to hold on to the Tetsusaiga!" Nikushimi yelped, when he'd returned to his master's side; watching with some trepidation, as Sesshomaru approached, his eyes showing just a hint of reddish light, proving that he was willing to shift into his true form to protect his brother and friends, if need be.

"Leave, Guren-Kaina. You've lost." Sesshomaru growled, menacingly.

"For now, Aniue. Only for now." Guren-Kaina snarled, in response, before turning and walking away; floating into the air by way of his youki, shortly afterwards.

"_We haven't seen the last of them_…._Even though I wish it could have been ended here._" Sesshomaru mused, before his knees finally buckled out from under him again, and as consciousness began to drift away; only vaguely aware when Kagome's voice called out both his and Inu-Yasha's names…..and when Inu-Yasha (who, by now, had also collapsed from the pain of his own injuries) weakly reached out and grasped his left arm.

"We won…..Sesshomaru…..Somehow….we won." Inu-Yasha whispered, with a hint of a pained grin on his bloodied face, as Kagome rushed over to them. And that was all Sesshomaru needed to hear, before all went dark around him, and the pain receded into nothing. The Tetsusaiga was in the hands of its' rightful owner again….and both brothers would fight to keep it that way.

_**Author's Note!**_

_**Boy, this was a confusing chapter to write! I hope this made some sense to everyone reading it! (If it didn't, then please let me know!). Thanks for reading, either way!**_

_**Gemini14**_


	15. Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

_Pain. The burn of venom as it seeped deeper into wounds. The occasional stabbing feeling of broken armor hitting his wounds as he stumbled through the woodlands. Since the violent battle had been finished, this was all he knew, as he searched for a safe place to lie down and recover._

"_And it had narrowly been won_…._Maybe I should have studied that sword-art, after all_…._" He mused, as he finally collapsed under the trunk of a massive tree; uttering a strained growl under his breath, as he did so. In the six short years since his sire's disappearance, he had had a very difficult time in getting his new lands under some semblance of control; numerous rebellions were cropping up all over the place_….._and it was taking all of his strength, just to subdue them._

"_Chichiue_….._I never realized just how difficult this would be_….._If only I had more strength_….._If only I could have been as strong as you were_….._" he thought, sadly, as he allowed his eyes to drift shut, and as a fevered sleep finally overcame him. When he next awoke, a strange feeling of disorientation had settled within him_….._He could tell that something or someone was in the grove with him, but he couldn't tell who or what it was, since the poison in his veins was dulling almost all of his senses._

"_Who goes?" he asked, painfully; turning his head when he saw a flash of color out of the corner of his eye_….._and found himself face to face with what appeared to be, at first, an inu-youkai child! The boy appeared to be no more than six years of age, was wearing a bright red haori and hakama, and was holding a red ball in his small hands. Bright amber eyes were gazing a little fearfully up at him, and his ears were twitching nervously as he cautiously approached._

"_I_….._I smelled blood_….._Are you hurt_….._Nii-sama?" the child asked, uncertainly. In answer to the softly-spoken question, he could only nod._

"_Only a few scratches, here and there_…._What is your name, pup?" he questioned, trying to keep the child from worrying about him (even though the effort was confusing him, to no end)._

"_I'm called 'Inu-Yasha'." The boy replied, as a little more courage appeared in his golden eyes; not realizing that his name had just caused a jolt to go through the youkai's mind._

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

"_And that was how the hanyou and I first crossed paths_……" Sesshomaru thought, with a sigh, as he slowly roused up; feeling a little confused, when all he saw around him was a pale morning sky.

"Better not move….too much….Sesshomaru…..or you'll fall off." Inu-Yasha's voice muttered, from beside him; as he slowly became more aware of his surroundings. They were now on Hachi's back, returning to Kaede's village, so they could have their wounds treated.

"What's going on?" Sesshomaru asked; not bothering to hide his confusion in the face of this turn of events.

"You passed out back there…..Guess it was from the blood loss…..We're headin' back now, so we can get you patched up." Inu-Yasha replied, painfully, as he met Sesshomaru's gaze head-on.

"You're in no better shape, hanyou. That last wound Guren-Kaina gave you is still bleeding pretty heavily, as well." Sesshomaru muttered, as he tried to relax; grimacing when the stab wounds reminded him that they were there.

"But you've…..been bleeding longer." Inu-Yasha argued, a little irritably; becoming a little annoyed at the Taiyoukai's attempts at downplaying his own injuries.

"Are you two arguing again?" Shippou asked, as he worriedly approached the brothers.

"It's about all we can do, right about now, pup." Sesshomaru sighed, even though some irony at the situation could be heard in his voice.

"Y'know…..somethin' just occurred to me…..Why didn't you try to take the sword, Sesshomaru? There were enough….opportunities." Inu-Yasha growled. At this, he only got what could have been a pained hiss from Sesshomaru at the thought, before he got a look that said it all.

"I still don't have what it takes to hold the Tetsusaiga…..and I don't think I really want to own a blade that has tasted my blood…..The sword is yours', Inu-Yasha; I have no further interest in it." Sesshomaru said, painfully; his face paling when he remembered the feel of the blade burying itself in his flesh….and not wanting to have a repeat encounter, any time soon.

"Sorry I asked, then." Inu-Yasha grumbled; turning his face away from his brother, when he saw how much discomfort the question alone caused him.

"You're forgiven…..for what it's worth." Sesshomaru muttered, in response; understanding the underlying apology in the seemingly snide remark. As they drifted into a somewhat comfortable silence, Sesshomaru could only take the time to notice just how far the rift between himself and his half brother had healed, in such a short amount of time.

"_And one of the main reasons for it is a young mortal girl_….." Sesshomaru mused, with a sigh, as he settled back and focused his energies on healing. He knew better than anyone, just how much time it would take, to recover from this particular battle….as well as how many questions he was going to have to answer, when it came to Guren-Kaina.

"_I dread having to answer those questions, more than anything._" Sesshomaru inwardly growled, even as a slight grimace worked its way back onto his face at the thought.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

It didn't take too long to reach the village, and soon all the members of the group found themselves back on solid ground again.

"Thanks for the ride, Hachi. We really owe you one." Kagome said, with a slight, grateful smile, as the tanuki in turn grinned at her.

"Don't mention it!" Hachi replied, honestly; yet even he found himself looking concernedly at Inu-Yasha and Sesshomaru. Both brothers were unusually quiet and pale, and he could sense that their injuries were serious, without even needing to really look.

"_Neither of them got out of that battle unscathed_….." Hachi inwardly murmured, as he watched Inu-Yasha force himself to his feet, and usher for Kagome to follow him.

"Sesshomaru-sama, are you able to move?" Jaken asked, worriedly, as he watched some of the villagers emerge from their huts, take some good looks at their group, and then rush to Kaede's hut to get some help for them. He got no response from the Taiyoukai, yet could only watch as he slowly pulled himself up; gritting his teeth as a pained groan threatened to escape from between his bloodied lips.

"Don't push yourself, milord." One villager said, as he rushed forward and slung Sesshomaru's right arm over his shoulders; startling the youkai lord and his retainer by his boldness alone.

"_Had this been the time before that trip to the underworld, I probably would have killed this man_….._It seems that hanging around with this group has changed me more than I had thought._" Sesshomaru mused, as he allowed the villager to shoulder his weight, and help him walk to the elderly miko's hut.

"By the kami, Sesshomaru-sama…..What in the world happened?!" Kaede asked, when she and a few of the other villagers met them about halfway to her hut, and as she approached and got a closer look at Sesshomaru's wounds.

"I don't…..want to talk about it…..Miko." Sesshomaru managed, from between pained wheezes; feeling somewhat relieved when the old woman simply nodded, then let the subject drop.

"Get him inside. I'll begin tending to his wounds shortly." Kaede said, before the man helping Sesshomaru did as he was told; listening as the elderly miko started letting the rest know what she was going to need in the next few moments.

"Those wounds of yours' look deep, youkai-sama." The man said, as he helped the Taiyoukai lay down on one of the futons; hearing it when Sesshomaru uttered what could have been a sigh of relief, shortly afterwards.

"They are…..and they will require much time to heal….." Sesshomaru murmured, then silently added, "_Time I don't think I'll be given._"

"Milord?" Jaken asked, worriedly; giving the Taiyoukai an almost tearful look, as he kneeled beside the futon.

"Be ready for anything, Jaken…..Our enemy…..will not waste any time…..to finish us." Sesshomaru whispered, as consciousness drifted away from him, once again.

"I will." Jaken promised, as he watched his master send himself into a deep sleep, and as Kaede returned to begin tending to the wounds themselves.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Miroku could only watch from a distance, as Inu-Yasha sealed the well with an uprooted tree; listening as Shippou chewed the hanyou out over his drastic decision.

"You know if you seal up the well, then Kagome'll never return to this era! Don't fool yourself! You need her just as much as the rest of us do!" Shippou cried, angrily. He missed completely the minute trace of regret in Inu-Yasha's golden eyes, yet that was soon replaced with resolve.

"I can't have her keep coming here and hanging around. As it is, I can't fight the way I want to when she's here." Inu-Yasha explained, yet then returned his thoughts to Sesshomaru; would he continue to stay near, without the girl who had been repairing the bridge between them?

"_Maybe I should've consulted him about this first_….._But, then again, he's in worse shape than I am, right now_….._Who's to say if those wounds from the Tetsusaiga will ever heal completely?_" Inu-Yasha wondered, as he remembered what had happened during the battle against Guren-Kaina, and just how much of that blame lay on Naraku.

"Let's go, Miroku." Inu-Yasha commanded, as he made up his mind to get revenge for those injuries to his brother on his own.

"Go? Where to?" Miroku questioned.

"How can you ask me that? We're gonna find Naraku and kill him once and for all!" Inu-Yasha retorted, determinedly. With a sigh that seemed to say that he was going to have a difficult moment on his hands in a few minutes, Miroku then nodded, and turned to Shippou, "Let's be going, Shippou."

"No. Not me. I hate Inu-Yasha." Shippou sniffled, as he sat down beside the well, and refused to budge even an inch.

"_What a predicament_…._Both are so stubborn, and not willing to see any other way around this_….._I should only be grateful that Sesshomaru-sama isn't in on it, as well._" Miroku inwardly muttered, then added, "I understand that you had forced Kagome-sama to return to her own time for her own safety, but couldn't you have found a better way of achieving the same end?"

"Leave me alone! I only did what I had to!" Inu-Yasha snapped, irritably, as they began walking back towards the village again.

"So how do you recommend going about searching for Naraku? Have you discovered any new leads?" Miroku again asked; feeling a little more chagrin, when Inu-Yasha's expression changed and gained a hint of hesitation, as well.

"Not exactly." Inu-Yasha muttered.

"Then you have nothing to go on." Miroku said, with a sigh, as he sat down on a boulder; listening as the hanyou turned and growled at him for that, "Our best hope, then, lies in composing ourselves and thinking things through."

"But we don't have time for that!!" Inu-Yasha snarled; his hackles rising at the memory of what Kikyo had told him…..and of the sound of the Tetsusaiga's blade sinking into Sesshomaru's flesh.

"I know! I want to crush Naraku as desperately as you do, Inu-Yasha!" Miroku nearly shouted, "Fifty years ago, he cursed my grandfather with the kazaana, and the curse has carried over the generations to me…..He'd even murdered Kikyo, and nearly killed your brother last night…." At this, Inu-Yasha could only listen, and agree. While it was true that they both had more than enough reason to kill Naraku, it wouldn't help either of them to run from one end of the country to the other with no clues or battle plans to guide them.

"Takin' action is more my style, not strategizing." Inu-Yasha mumbled, as he took a seat beside Miroku, with a final exasperated sigh.

"Work with me, Inu-Yasha. Let's go back to where all this had started. You had mentioned that you had fallen into Naraku's trap fifty years ago, correct? Then you must have met Naraku in person, haven't you?" Miroku questioned.

"Not exactly…..If I'd met him, he'd been disguised as Kikyo, then….So I have no idea what he looks like, now." Inu-Yasha murmured, as he remembered what had happened years earlier with sickening clarity.

"It makes no sense. You say you don't know Naraku, and yet he hated you enough to impersonate Kikyo, and try to kill you. Had you done anything to cause him to be embittered?" Miroku mused, aloud, when he'd noticed that the pieces just didn't fit.

"How the hell should I know?! I don't even know what the yarou looks like!" Inu-Yasha growled, in aggravation; his irritation returning, when it seemed that the conversation was returning to where it had started.

"Well….one thing we do know, was that Kikyo was a miko. Perhaps it was she, and not you, that Naraku had had a deep grudge against, especially since you don't think you know him." Miroku stated, as he watched realization appear in the hanyou's eyes, and as he looked over at him with an unnerved look on his face.

"You mean it's really Kikyo he hates?" Inu-Yasha asked, as his voice fell to almost a whisper.

"It could be." Miroku replied, somberly, as their thoughts returned to the reincarnation of the revived miko…..and how much danger she would have been in, had she stayed in the Sengoku Era with them…...

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

_The cave in front of them was deathly silent, as they stood and stared into the darkness._

"_Old friend_….._" Touga murmured, as he laid a sympathetic hand on his ally's white-mantled shoulder._

"_I couldn't save her, Touga_….._I couldn't protect her! Even with all this strength, I couldn't keep the worst from happening to her! Why?!" the warrior cried; the grief in his tone giving his voice a hard edge that neither of his companions had ever heard before. _

"_It_….._couldn't be helped. You're only one being, my friend_….._There was no way even I could have been in two places at once_….._You know that as well as anyone." Touga said, as he tried to console the grieving man as well as he could_….._But it would soon prove to not be enough._

"_It couldn't be helped? Is that all you have to say to that? You are a youkai as well! In the end, you couldn't have wanted to end your kindred's lives with one sweep of your blade! To make them suffer as Midoriko had suffered! No!" the warrior shouted, as he turned and gave both Sesshomaru and Touga an angry, amber glare; the color of his eyes and the rising fury in his ki beginning to frighten the younger inu-youkai to no end, and even making the elder youkai back up a step in shock._

"_My friend_…._Please! Don't give in to your hate! Sounga_…._!" Touga tried to say, in warning, but was only ignored by the enraged and grief-maddened man in front of him_……_and could only watch as the cursed blade was swiftly pulled from its' sheath at his side with a lightning swiftness._

"_I will slay all of the youkai in the Western Province_….._And then I will return for you. Be ready." The warrior growled, menacingly; his aura proving to be, surprisingly, strong enough to overwhelm the Sounga's evil aura. And then, in a flash, he was gone._

"_Chichiue_….._" Sesshomaru whimpered, fearfully, as he hugged his father's leg tightly, and buried his face in his father's pelt; hiding his frightened tears within it, as he did so. Without another word, Touga turned and gently lifted him into his arms, and held him close; allowing him to cry, this time, since he knew how fearful his pup truly was of the man who had once been their closest friend. _

"_I'm not going to lie to you, little one, when I say that I wasn't afraid, just now_….._But I promise you, that things will be all right. We'll stop him, you have my word." Touga murmured, as he rubbed Sesshomaru's back comfortingly, and smiled grimly when the inu-youkai child looked up at him with wide, tearful eyes._

"_We will?" Sesshomaru asked, uncertainly._

"_Yes. Don't worry. We'll bring him back to his senses even if I have to bash them back into him with the Kaze no Kizu." Touga promised, even though he knew that a long and difficult road now lay before them_…._and yet another hard battle was about to begin_…._And it would prove to be among the most difficult tasks that the great Dog General had ever undertaken_…..

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

He only had enough strength to utter a weak growl, as he slowly returned to consciousness. Even though his wounds had been bound, and the poultices in them helped to numb the pain, Sesshomaru's mind could only register the overall feeling of having been chewed on.

"_And in an almost literal sense, I had been_…." Sesshomaru mused; jumping slightly when a soft hand removed what seemed to be a damp compress from his brow, and wincing when the slightest move sent brand-like pain lancing through him.

"_You shouldn't think things like that_….._even if they're true._" Inu-Taisho muttered, in the back of his son's mind; the chagrin in his mental voice getting a soft snicker from Sesshomaru in response.

"Youkai-sama?" a young woman's voice asked, hesitantly; seeming almost afraid that he would suddenly leap up and rip her to shreds, if she spoke any louder.

"What….do you want?" Sesshomaru replied; feeling some frustration well up within him, when he heard how weak he sounded.

"How are you faring? Do you need anything for the pain?" the woman asked, as her face became a little bit clearer to the injured youkai lord; she appeared to be a teenager who was maybe fourteen or fifteen years old, yet seemed to be in training to be the next miko for the village.

"No…..I require nothing….Save maybe to be told where that hanyou brother of mine has gotten to." Sesshomaru murmured; keeping his voice low, since he could feel that several of his ribs had been badly cracked by the battle, as well.

"They are in the hut next door, at present, milord. Should I tell them that you have awakened?" the girl asked, gently; sensing now that she had nothing to fear from the youkai lord himself, yet she still remained respectful, nonetheless.

"It makes no difference to me." Sesshomaru muttered; knowing that, no matter what, sooner or later Inu-Yasha would come and wake him up, anyway. And, moments later, in rushed said hanyou, with Miroku, Kaede, and Shippou right behind him.

"Damn, when I looked in on ya earlier, you'd looked dead." Inu-Yasha muttered, as some relief appeared in his eyes at his brother's continued survival, and stubborn refusal to give up.

"That's…..wishful thinking…..on your part." Sesshomaru mumbled, in response; acknowledging Inu-Yasha's concern, despite his words.

"Be that as it may, these wounds of yours' are serious. Neither of you will be seeing any battles for a while." Kaede said, as she sat down beside the fire pit, and motioned for Inu-Yasha to have a seat in front of her.

"I'll be all right in two or three days, and Sesshomaru'll be healed even sooner!" Inu-Yasha growled, as the elderly miko began rubbing some more poultice into his wounds.

"Fool." Sesshomaru grumbled, then added when he got a semi-questioning look from his brother for it, "I was run through when the sword was fully transformed……In this case, your wounds will heal before mine, this time."

"What exactly happened?" Kaede asked, concernedly, as she gave the pale Taiyoukai a look that said he would be better off telling her, than staying silent…..

"I've got another half-brother out there who wants the Tetsusaiga…..and he'd nearly killed Sesshomaru last night, just to prove his point." Inu-Yasha growled, in response, when it had become apparent that Sesshomaru wasn't going to answer the question himself.

"I see….." Kaede murmured, thoughtfully; knowing just from looking at the Taiyoukai's eyes that this was a difficult subject for him to even mention, let alone explain in any detail, "Though I must speak with all of ye. I have given much thought to this, since Urasue revived my sister Kikyo. She had said that it was ye, Inu-Yasha, who had stolen the Shikon no Tama from her. Do ye not think it rather strange?"

"In other words, the one who had used the hanyou's form, could have made off with the jewel, yet didn't." Sesshomaru muttered, as he slowly sat up, and allowed Kaede to get another look at his wounds, as well.

"Hai. He tricked Inu-Yasha into terrorizing the village, and pursuing the Sacred Jewel…..only to have him end up sealed by Kikyo to a tree." Kaede said, then added, "Was the trickster trying to pit ye against one another, Inu-Yasha? Or was Kikyo the real object of his malice? Was he trying to fill her heart with bitterness and hatred?"

"Good questions….." Jaken murmured, out of turn, from his seat nearest the door. Yet both youkai noticed when Inu-Yasha and Miroku exchanged glances; their expressions telling them that they had also been discussing this.

"In her possession, the Shikon no Tama remained pure. But, when her heart became tainted, it also became sullied, and filled with a malevolent power. At that time, there was but one person who wished for such a terrible outcome." Kaede stated, as she finished tending to Sesshomaru's injuries, then gave them a grave look, "Shall I take ye to the place where this person had once resided?"

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Despite his own misgivings against doing so, Sesshomaru found himself following Miroku, Kaede, and Inu-Yasha; ignoring the occasional worried glances they threw his way, whenever he took a step.

"….At the time, Kikyo had come to her own decision." Kaede said, as she led them along the riverbank, to the entrance of a cave.

"She was harboring a thief!" Inu-Yasha mumbled, as some of what had happened then finally began to make some sense.

"Because she pitied him! He was unable to move on his own." Kaede answered, then continued, "The man went by the name of 'Onigumo'. Somehow, I am uncertain how, he had suffered terrible burns….and his face had been especially scarred. I know not how he had sustained his injuries, but both legs were broken. And yet he continued to endure."

"Why are we talking about a man, when the one we're hunting for is a youkai?" Sesshomaru asked, quietly, as a tiny hint of impatience emerged within his tone.

"I'm getting to that, Sesshomaru-sama, if you would give me a moment more. Onigumo never moved from that spot again, but he did recover his strength enough to talk…..and it was then, that his true nature emerged….His knowledge of the Jewel, as well as it's powers…..added to his filthy desires for Kikyo had chilled and boiled my blood at the same time…..And yet, it wasn't long afterward that she died, and ye, Inu-Yasha, were bound to the tree. Several days afterward, when I went to visit Onigumo, I found his cave burned out….Judging from what I saw then, the flames must have been intense….and he would have perished among them…..yet even his bones were nowhere to be found!" Kaede murmured, thoughtfully; her single eye narrowing in suspicion, when that came to mind.

"And yet, as Sesshomaru had said, what does this 'Onigumo' person have to do with me? I'm lookin' for Naraku, and he's a youkai, not a human." Inu-Yasha stated, as he exchanged glances with his elder brother, and saw that the Taiyoukai appeared to be thinking along the same lines he was, about this.

"No mistaking that. Onigumo may have been evil, but he was human….A true scourge to humanity, if ever there was one." Kaede agreed, wholeheartedly.

"Still, it wouldn't hurt to go in and take a closer look. However small the clues are, there might still be something to be learned here." Miroku said, as he gave the brothers a grave look.

"I'll remain out here." Sesshomaru said, as three of them began to descend into the shadows.

"Gonna keep an eye out for trouble?" Inu-Yasha questioned, then silently added, "_Even as hurt as you are?_"

"I might as well, since this seems to be a dead end…..no pun intended." Sesshomaru muttered, as he glanced at the cave with a deadpan look briefly gracing his features, before he turned his attention back to his surroundings, "_Aside from the fact that it brings back too many bad memories_….."

"Suit yourself." Inu-Yasha grumbled, before he, Miroku, and Kaede disappeared into the cave.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

With a mighty effort, Shippou tried to pull the tree out of the well…..dismayed when it didn't budge even an inch.

"I can't pull it loose. Unless I do, then we'll never see Kagome again!" Shippou said, sadly, inwardly cursing his weakness and inability to undo what Inu-Yasha had done, "_I'm starting to miss her, already._"

"_I can't have her hangin' around. I can't fight the way I want to, when she's here._" Inu-Yasha's voice repeated in the young kitsune's mind; infuriating him, once again, with the seeming callousness of the hanyou's decision.

"Damn him! He's more stubborn than an old mule! That does it! I'm never gonna speak to Inu-Yasha again!" Shippou furiously shouted; completely unaware that something was listening to his words…..until it spoke to him.

"Did you say 'Inu-Yasha'?" the voice growled, menacingly, as more snarls came to the young kitsune's ears. Upon turning to look, Shippou froze when he saw wolves….and then a huge youkai.

"I asked you a question, whelp!" the beast snarled; his maddened, glazed eyes, and both rows of sharp teeth freezing Shippou in place for a split second, before he started running as fast as his feet could carry him.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Even before his ears could hear the desperate cries for help, Sesshomaru was jerking to attention, when a familiar scent came to his nose.

"_Royakan?! What in the seven hells is __he__ doing in these parts?!_" Sesshomaru silently yelped, before taking off in the direction the scent had come from.

"Help!! Someone! Help me!" Shippou's voice cried, as he raced hell-for-leather away from the wolves behind him, "INU-YASHA!!"

"_As with the miko, that pup never fails to find trouble_….." Sesshomaru groused, before sprinting towards the imperiled young youkai; gritting his teeth when the effort brought incredible pain to his abdomen. With ease, he plucked the kitsune practically out of the wolves' mouths, only turning back once, to unleash his venom whip onto them.

"Sesshomaru-sama?!" Shippou yelped, when he was able to speak again; stunned that the youkai was even awake, much less helping him.

"Hang on…." Sesshomaru growled, before ripping even more wolves apart with his claws….and then sinking to his knees, from the effort.

"Hey! Are you all right?! Sesshomaru-sama!" Shippou called, worriedly, then looked down when he felt something warm and wet soak the front of his gi, "Your stomach! It's bleeding!"

"Damn it all…..the wounds have broken open again….." Sesshomaru hissed; his eyes narrowing in agony, as his face paled, and sweat beaded on his brow.

"Shippou! Sesshomaru!!" Inu-Yasha shouted, as he, Kaede and Miroku arrived on the scene, their eyes widening when they saw the growing bloodstains on the bandages on the Taiyoukai's torso.

"And now he arrives….." Sesshomaru gritted, as he gave his brother a caustic glare, "Stay up there! As it is, you can't fight either! You've still got Guren-Kaina's venom in you!"

"Shut the hell up!" Inu-Yasha retorted, before he also rushed to his side, and stubbornly shouldered Sesshomaru's weight; all three of them looking up, when the huge youkai appeared before them.

"Might you be Inu-Yasha?" the youkai asked.

"Who's askin'?!" Inu-Yasha replied, as he quickly lifted his brother from the ground, and began to back away.

"I am Royakan, the Guardian of Hell!" the beast snarled, in response.

"Royakan?! Are you not the gentle creature that guards the forest?!" Kaede asked, as she and Miroku also entered the battlefield, and stood alongside Inu-Yasha and Sesshomaru.

"He isn't….in his right mind…." Sesshomaru managed, painfully, as Royakan seemingly snorted in contempt at his words.

"I was…..but that was before I was reborn! Inu-Yasha, I've come to slay you!" Royakan roared, before spitting even more three-eyed wolves at the group.

"'Good luck' is all I can say!" Inu-Yasha snapped, in answer to that, as he began running.

"Fool….What the hell are you doing? I'm only….going to slow you down!" Sesshomaru nearly whispered; coughing when blood started seeping into the back of his throat.

"I wouldn't be worthy of callin' myself your brother, if I left you to them!" Inu-Yasha replied; his words and the resolve behind them, surprising the Taiyoukai, despite himself.

"_Royakan seems to know that neither of them is in any condition to fight_…._but it won't stop them from trying!_" Miroku thought, as he watched the current Taiyoukai and his brother struggle against the wolves, and then leaping into action when one almost snatched Shippou from Sesshomaru's arms.

"Fight as hard as you like, you will never defeat me!" Royakan bellowed, as he spat even more wolves at them.

"Then this leaves me with only one choice!" Miroku muttered, as he gave the brothers a desperate glance, made eye contact with at least Sesshomaru, and then unleashed the kazaana! And with an equally as desperate lunge, Sesshomaru hit the deck; taking both Inu-Yasha and Shippou with him, and pinning them to make sure they wouldn't get sucked into the kazaana, as well.

"Ow….dammit…..That hurt." Inu-Yasha snarled, as he struggled in his elder brother's grasp, yet felt it when Sesshomaru stiffened in agony, and when his brother's blood started to soak through his haori.

"How….are you faring….hanyou?" Sesshomaru asked, his voice filled with pain, as he lay there.

"I'll live. Whattabout you?" Inu-Yasha replied, in kind; worry replacing the anger he'd had about being thrown to the ground in such a way.

"My wounds…..are bleeding again. I….c-can't move." Sesshomaru answered, his voice sounding even softer than before.

"Hang on. Don't die on me, here." Inu-Yasha growled, as he tried to figure out a way to get them out of this predicament. He was therefore stunned, when a sudden blast of flame came between them and the rapidly-closing-in Royakan; signaling the arrival of Jaken on the scene.

"Inu-Yasha! Quickly! Come over this way!" Miroku shouted, when he'd also seen the imp boldly come onto the battlefield.

"He's not going anywhere!" Royakan howled, as he sent more wolves their way.

"We'll see about that!!" Jaken shouted, before attacking again; incinerating the pack before they could even get close to his injured master, or his master's brother.

"W-where were you….Jaken?" Sesshomaru questioned, as he slowly propped himself up on his elbows and glared at the imp for his tardiness.

"Gomenasai, Sesshomaru-sama." Jaken said, in response; not even bothering with an excuse, this time, to explain why he was there so late….but feeling some relief (both his own, and that of the trio behind him) that he'd made it in time.

"Feh…." Sesshomaru snorted, under his breath, as Inu-Yasha again helped him get to his feet, and they started their running battle anew.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Meanwhile, not too far away, a familiar, baboon-cloaked figure was watching the desperate fight; snickering to himself, when he saw how hard the hanyou and Taiyoukai were struggling against their foes.

"I really must congratulate myself. It truly was a brilliant idea to imbed a Shikon Shard into Royakan's body!" Naraku murmured, as a pleased grin appeared on his face at the sight before him.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

By now, even Inu-Yasha was starting to slow down, and his own wounds were bleeding again.

"_Vision's starting to become blurry_…._It's takin' all I have just to keep us from becoming wolf chow_…." Inu-Yasha silently growled, as he looked out of the corner of his eye at Sesshomaru. His full-youkai brother was just barely holding on to consciousness, a veiled hint that he wasn't going to be able to see this fight through.

"Sesshomaru, we've gotta split up, or those wolves are gonna catch us. Take Shippou and run." Inu-Yasha said, when they had stopped briefly to catch their breaths. He only got a nod from Sesshomaru in agreement.

"Houshi-sama! Inu-Yasha and Sesshomaru-sama are both in danger!" Kaede yelped, when she'd seen the brothers stop running.

"I'm moving as fast as I can!" Miroku replied, as he dove for his fallen staff, "But first, I've got to stop Royakan!" With desperation setting in, Miroku then threw the staff at the maddened youkai; catching him in the face, then rushing forward and unleashing the kazaana at almost point-blank range.

"It can be done!" Miroku shouted, with some relief sneaking into his voice, when he noticed that Royakan was getting drawn towards him. And yet, before he could be drawn close enough to be sucked in, Royakan, in a last-ditch effort, shattered the ground in from of him; making his escape, when the debris was between him and the houshi.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

"He escaped…..how unfortunate." Naraku hissed, in displeasure, when he'd seen that his plan had gone awry, once again, "Perhaps I should have made him more powerful." And with no more words after that, Naraku disappeared. He therefore didn't realize that a ghostly pair of eyes was watching him as he went….nor did he feel the anger seething from their owner, over the assault on his sons…..

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Through his fading senses, Sesshomaru could hear it when Kaede rushed over to them and demanded to see their wounds, and heard it when Inu-Yasha asked what had become of Royakan.

"He has fled, unfortunately." Kaede murmured, watching as Miroku approached.

"Inu-Yasha, I sense Naraku is close by!" Miroku stated, as he came and stood alongside Kaede, with Jaken right behind him; seeing it when the hanyou's eyes narrowed with rage.

"What?!" Inu-Yasha growled.

"It's very likely that he manipulated Royakan with a Jewel Shard, somehow." Miroku added, as the pieces started to fall into place.

"It…..makes sense…." Sesshomaru mumbled, his voice barely audible, now that most of his strength was gone.

"I agree. That's the only explanation as to why such a gentle creature would become so bloodthirsty almost overnight." Kaede agreed, yet could only watch as Inu-Yasha quickly stood up, and started at a vain attempt to pursue the evil youkai…. Only to end up passing out and falling flat on his face, just moments afterwards.

"_Chichiue_….._It seems Inu-Yasha had inherited more from you_…._than even I had suspected_…." Sesshomaru mused, remembering when his father had done pretty much the same thing, long ago.

"_You're both my sons, Sesshomaru, so it really shouldn't surprise you, that much._" Inu-Taisho's voice replied, as pride, worry, and anger warred for supremacy in his tone.

"_True enough_….." Sesshomaru agreed, before lapsing again into unconsciousness, and all went dark around him.

_**Author's Note!**_

_**This chapter was an extremely difficult one to write! Writer's Block had almost cornered it, at some points! I just hope it makes sense!**_

_**Gemini14**_


	16. Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Three days. It had been three whole days, since she had last heard from either Inu-Yasha or Sesshomaru. Kagome sighed, somberly, as she stood alone on one side of the playing field at her school.

"_Why don't they come and get me? I hope nothing else has happened to them!_" Kagome thought, worriedly, as she watched her classmates play their game of softball.

"Kagome-chan! There you are! Hojo's been looking all over for you!" one of her friends said, as she approached; breaking her out of her gloomy reverie, for the time being.

"Coming!" Kagome replied, before jogging over to where the boy in question now waited. She could only hope that all was well with the brothers, in their time.

"_It's about all I can do, right now._" Kagome mused, then tried to push her worries to the side, so her friends and Hojo wouldn't become suspicious.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

"OPEN UP, DAMMIT!!" an enraged hanyou shouted, at the tops of his lungs, as he furiously kicked the walls of the hut he and Sesshomaru had been placed in, after their battle with Royakan.

"You're wasting your time, Inu-Yasha. This hut's been covered in sacred sutra to keep youkai out, and you in." Shippou sighed, irritably, from his seat next to Sesshomaru's futon; doing his best to sponge off the sweat from the Taiyoukai's fevered brow as he said that.

"Yeah, but who says I needed to be the one sealed inside?!" Inu-Yasha growled back, as he continued to struggle against the ropes that bound him; cursing his weakness as he did so.

"Please stop, Inu-Yasha!" Kagome's voice then suddenly said, temporarily stilling the hanyou's futile attempts to get free, and quieting him at the same time, "Please lie still and rest. Your injuries still haven't completely healed."

"K-kagome?!" Inu-Yasha whispered, and looked over his shoulder at the one who had spoken…..at first believing that Kagome was truly there, and then feeling quite foolish, when he saw Shippou's tail sticking out from behind 'her'.

"You little…..! Laugh it up, fuzzball!" Inu-Yasha again shouted, before aiming some kicks at the young kitsune in retaliation for his prank. And yet, despite it all, Sesshomaru showed no signs of awakening.

"_He must be focusin' all of his energy on healing himself, if he wasn't even disturbed by __my__ yelling!_" Inu-Yasha thought, as he took in his brother's far-too-pale features with something akin to worry in his eyes.

"It's about time you've decided to stop knocking around in here." Miroku muttered, as he opened the door to the hut, and he and Kaede started to enter, "We're trying to hide you and Sesshomaru-sama from youkai….But the racket you're making will render this last ditch effort meaningless."

"Let me outta here, damn you!" Inu-Yasha snarled, yet only got Miroku's staff shoved into his face, and his body pinned down by the houshi himself, for an answer.

"Kaede-san! Seal the door!" Miroku commanded, and watched as the elderly miko did just that. When Inu-Yasha had finally calmed down enough to be untied (his hands had been bound behind his back, to prevent him from even attempting to tear the hut apart), and was allowing Kaede to treat his wounds, Miroku then sat down and started to speak again.

"You mustn't rush things, my friend. I'm as inclined to rush after Naraku, as you are; but first you and your brother have to recover from your injuries." Miroku murmured, as he sat on a nearby hay bale; watching as Inu-Yasha's concerned gaze was drawn again to his unnaturally still brother. Sesshomaru was lying about a foot or so away from where he now lay; his pallid features slightly drawn with pain as he breathed, and his left hand weakly gripping the blanket that had been draped over him in an attempt to keep him warm.

"He speaks the truth. Naraku's strength is almost beyond comprehension…..Isn't that precisely the reason why ye had banished Kagome to her own world the way you did?" Kaede added, quietly.

"_That was his reason? To keep Kagome safe? He sent her away out of concern?_" Shippou wondered, as he sat beside Kaede, and watched her put more balm on the deep wound in the hanyou's back.

"We need you and Sesshomaru-sama to recover quickly….For we must face Naraku at our strongest. Otherwise, I fear we won't have too much longer to live." Miroku stated, grimly; feeling a little chagrin when the hanyou stiffly sat up and glared at him.

"Are you a man or a mouse?! I, for one, am ready to face that yarou, here and now!" Inu-Yasha snarled; his golden eyes alight with challenge, proving that even though his body was hurting, his spirit wasn't dampened in the slightest.

"My good man, put your head down and get some much-needed rest." Miroku calmly replied, then leaped to his feet and knocked the hanyou flat onto his face again, "How many times do I have to tell you that?! Lie down! Sleep!"

"I think it'd be wise to do as the houshi says, this time….." Jaken (who up until this moment had been sitting in unusual silence in one corner of the hut) mumbled; flinching despite himself as he watched Miroku knock the wind out of Inu-Yasha again.

"Shut….up." Inu-Yasha gasped, from his prone position on the floor, as both of the humans then stood and left; unable to even move an inch, before the wards were put back into place, and he was sealed in for the night.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

As the hours wore on, and the moon rose, Inu-Yasha could only lay there wonder where their paths would take them now.

"_How far will our battle with Naraku take us? And will Sesshomaru still be able to search for our father in the meantime?_" Inu-Yasha inwardly questioned, as he sighed and tried to relax; his sensitive ears just barely picking up on Sesshomaru's breathing from where he lay.

"Hey, Inu-Yasha…..you awake?" Shippou asked, suddenly, as he sat up and gave the hanyou a questioning look.

"Whaddya want?" Inu-Yasha grumbled; not even bothering to turn around and look at him as he said that.

"I was just wondering if Kagome misses us…." Shippou said, sadly.

"Forget about Kagome." Inu-Yasha growled, then silently added, "_As long as she's safe, that's the best I can hope for_…._I just don't want to see another woman die like that._"

"_It's good to know that you have someone you wish to protect, my son._" A strong, male voice murmured, in the back of Inu-Yasha's mind; startling the hanyou into sitting up for a moment, and taking a good look around.

"What's wrong, Inu-Yasha? Did you hear something?!" Shippou asked, nervously, when he'd seen the spooked look on Inu-Yasha's face.

"Thought I had….." Inu-Yasha replied, then lay back down again. Then, just as he was about to drift off into light slumber, Inu-Yasha felt what almost seemed to be a hand brush against his brow; opening his eyes just in time to see what appeared to be a semi-visible warrior kneeling there beside him!

"_W-what the_….?!" Inu-Yasha's mind yelped, and as he stopped himself from backpedaling away from the ghostly visitor (mainly because, by now, both Shippou and Jaken were now also sound asleep).

"_I apologize for startling you, son. It wasn't my intention._" the amber-eyed, silver-haired stranger said, quietly; knowing that his appearing this way more than just surprised his youngest-born.

"_So you say. You're my old man, aren't you?_" Inu-Yasha asked, skeptically; getting a nod from the youkai before him in response to his question.

"_Indeed. I was the Inu no Taisho of the Western Province, but I was more commonly known as 'Touga'._" The former Taiyoukai stated, with a slight, careworn smile, "_Your's and Sesshomaru's 'old man', yes._"

"_You aren't dead, are you? Sesshomaru's been pretty damn worried about you, since this problem with Naraku has cropped up._" Inu-Yasha muttered, dryly; this comment catching Touga somewhat off-guard.

"_No, I'm not dead. As I had told your brother some time ago, I am merely asleep right now_….._though I have no idea where._" Touga replied, honestly.

"_So Sesshomaru's been able to communicate with you like this for all this time? Why didn't he tell me about this?_" Inu-Yasha again asked; feeling a bit miffed with the current Taiyoukai about keeping such a secret from him. At this, he got what could have only been a bemused smile from Touga, and an arched eyebrow.

"_Would you have believed him, if he'd said something back then?_" Touga in turn asked, rhetorically; getting an abashed look from his youngest son for an answer.

"_Guess not_….._But why're you talkin' to me like this now?_" Inu-Yasha questioned; 'sounding' just as bewildered by this turn of events as he looked.

"_The mental connection I'd had with Sesshomaru is down_…._I can only guess that he is focusing all of his energy on the healing of his own wounds. To be honest, coming to you this way was the only way I could think of, to make sure Sesshomaru hadn't died on me, as well._" Touga replied, turning to look at the unconscious Sesshomaru beside him, and then gave Inu-Yasha a grave smile, "_And this was the first time that __your__ mind has been open enough for me to reach out to you like this._"

"_Y'mean you've been trying to reach me for all this time?_" Inu-Yasha asked, in honest surprise, "_Why?_"

"_You're my son, too. Why would I not?_" Touga answered, warmly; his words taking his usually surly hanyou son completely off guard. He watched as his comment sank into Inu-Yasha's mind, and as an almost embarrassed look appeared to replace his stunned expression.

"_Feh_….._Then I guess all I can say, is that I hope we'll be able to find you, soon._" Inu-Yasha mumbled, as he tried to salvage what remained of his 'rough' image, and feeling a hint of chagrin when Touga chuckled at his discomfiture.

"_I look forward to meeting you in person, also._" Touga agreed, as he reached out, and ruffled his son's hair with an almost insubstantial hand, "_I just hope that, by the time we finally do meet, that you and Sesshomaru will truly be brothers_…._and that the bridge between you will be fully mended._"

"_Do you think he's got the strength to hang on that long? He was run through with the Tetsusaiga, after all._" Inu-Yasha said, uncertainly, as he gave his elder brother a look of true worry.

"_He's got a stubborn streak that's even broader than my own or his mother's combined! If there's one thing I __can__ say for certain, is that once he sets a goal for himself, Sesshomaru will stop at nothing to achieve it. It was true when he was just a pup_…._and it is especially true now._" Touga said, confidently; smirking when Inu-Yasha's expression deadpanned slightly; undoubtedly remembering what had happened before, and what had led to their discovery that their father was still alive.

"_No shit about that._" Inu-Yasha agreed, wholeheartedly. If there was anything that gave him hope for his brother's survival, it was said brother's own stubbornness that would see him through this.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the forest, Royakan fearfully huddled in his den; still shivering at the memories of his battle with Inu-Yasha….and his brush with death from when the houshi had stepped in.

"I've been searching for you, Royakan." The smooth, almost silken voice of Naraku intoned; prompting the frightened youkai into turning and looking at him.

"N-Naraku!" Royakan stammered, then seemed to steel himself, and glared at the other youkai angrily, "I refuse to battle against Inu-Yasha again!"

"Why do you tremble so?" Naraku questioned.

"I don't want to be drawn into a kazaana!" Royakan sobbed, before curling in on himself again. With almost a sigh of irritation, Naraku then reached under the baboon pelt he wore, and held out yet another Shikon Jewel shard towards the trembling youkai before him.

"I shall now take away your fear….and put an end to your shaking." Naraku stated, his voice sounding more venomous by the moment…..and, before Royakan could even object to it, the shard flew from the evil youkai's hand, and lodged itself in his brow. With a loud cry of agony, the forest guardian took off into the night; his cries of pain becoming menacing howls the farther he went.

"_If he can't finish Inu-Yasha and the Taiyoukai of the Western Province with that form, then no one can!_" Naraku inwardly sneered, as he again melted into the shadows around him; seeming to be no more than a wandering nightmare…..

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Morning had dawned with dark storm clouds on the horizon, as Kaede and Miroku finished with their preparations to defend the hut with everything they had. Both could only shudder slightly, when a chill wind started to blow towards them; a sure sign that something was headed their way.

"Such a sinister wind…..Kaede-sama, stay on guard….A malevolent presence is coming." Miroku said, as they both assumed meditative positions in front of the warded hut, and set up their spiritual barrier against the coming attack.

"Then we shall stop him here!" Kaede replied, as the first wave of three-eyed wolves came flying in and bashed themselves against the kekkai…..and then the beast commanding them appeared.

"_**Inu-Yasha, where are you hiding?! Come out!**_" Royakan growled, as he turned his now totally crimson gaze onto the area where the hut was supposed to be. At the same time, within the hut, Shippou was watching the goings-on from one of the small windows with some alarm in his green eyes.

"Royakan's back, and he's even bigger than last time!!" Shippou yelped.

"Damn….Then we'd better be ready to move." Inu-Yasha muttered, as he quickly pulled Sesshomaru up off of the futon, and draped him across his back; freezing for a moment when the Taiyoukai uttered a soft snarl under his breath in response to the sudden pain of being moved.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" Jaken said, as he and Shippou watched the inu-youkai lord closely for any signs that he was regaining consciousness…..and they weren't disappointed.

"Hurts…..and I smell wolves…..What's going on?" Sesshomaru asked, as he weakly opened his eyes; seeming surprised when he saw that Inu-Yasha was the one that now 'carried' him, yet not as much as he would have been, before.

"How's your wounds, Sesshomaru? Think you can stay out of Royakan's reach without reopening them?" Inu-Yasha asked, in turn, as he carefully set his brother back onto his own feet again, yet still remained beside him, in case he needed some support.

"They seem to be a little further along in healing…..but not as far as I would like. You're going to have to provide a distraction." Sesshomaru replied, as some distaste for this course of action emerged in his voice….He hated having to retreat!

"Feh, consider it done, then." Inu-Yasha agreed; knowing that his brother wanted to fight, yet not having enough strength to do it. Moments later, their decision was made for them; Miroku was forced to stand and block an incoming spear, saving Kaede's life….yet allowing the barrier to fall, at the same time!

"_**Inu-Yasha! I see you now!**_" Royakan howled, as he leaped over the houshi and miko, and effortlessly crushed the warded hut; reeling back from the remains of it a split second later with a pained bellow, when something slashed into him.

"I owe you one, Royakan, for getting us out of that hut that our so-called friends had sealed us into!" Inu-Yasha growled, as he brandished the Tetsusaiga before him; assuming a ready stance, as the Taiyoukai slowly got to his own feet again, and then raced off.

"For yours' and Sesshomaru-sama's protection, I might add." Kaede muttered, her expression deadpanning as she said that.

"Gratitude certainly isn't his forte." Miroku added, then thought, "_But where is Sesshomaru going? He isn't heading for the well, is he?_"

"_**Oh no, you don't! Taiyoukai of the Western Province!**_" Royakan snarled; blocking an attack from Inu-Yasha, and slashing at the injured youkai lord's back at the same time.

"_Damn it all!_" Sesshomaru inwardly growled, as he turned to face Royakan and tried to block the blow; the Tenseiga's barrier just barely preventing the monster's claws from reaching his chest.

"Inu-Yasha's been thrown to the ground!" Kaede shouted, her voice and words barely reaching Sesshomaru in time, before he did what would have been impossible to imagine, just months prior…..he leaped in front of his downed brother, and held his ground.

"Get up, Inu-Yasha! I don't know how long I can hold him!" Sesshomaru commanded, as the brute threw himself against the barrier; grimacing when he felt Royakan's strengthened youki collide against his.

"Idiot! Why'd you put yourself into this?!" Inu-Yasha asked, stunned that his elder brother had even considered such a thing. Sesshomaru didn't respond, and soon Inu-Yasha could see why; when he had been thrown to the ground, the piece of the Sacred Jewel they had painstakingly gathered had somehow fallen out of his haori!

"_**A giant fragment of the Shikon no Tama!**_" Royakan gleefully howled, as he suddenly broke off his attack on Sesshomaru's barrier, and turned to pursue that, instead.

"_Curse it all!_" Sesshomaru inwardly hissed, yet felt a hint of relief sneak into him, when Shippou swiftly snatched the Jewel from the beast, and dashed off.

"Hands off! This isn't yours' to have!" Shippou shouted, boldly over his shoulder, as he ran.

"_**You won't escape!**_" Royakan bellowed, as he started to send more wolves after the young kitsune….yet just as quickly found his jaws being tied shut with Sesshomaru's venom whip!

"Not if I have anything to say about it." Sesshomaru snarled, when Royakan had turned a murderous glare onto him.

"Watch it!" Inu-Yasha shouted, as he got behind the Taiyoukai, and killed some more wolves that had been trying to attack him that way.

"The pup's on his own….." Sesshomaru growled, from between gritted teeth, as he struggled to keep Royakan from moving.

"Looks that way…." Inu-Yasha agreed, when he'd also noticed that some Saimyosho had arrived, and it had prevented Miroku from using his kazaana to help; giving them all the veiled hint that Naraku was somewhere close by, and was watching the battle from a safe distance.


End file.
